EXPLORING THE EFFECT OF “WHITE LIGHT” ON THE GROWTH, LEAF MORPHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF SPINY CICHORY PLANTS (Cichorium spinosum L.) IN A VERTICAL FARM

Light-emitting diode (LED) technology has contributed significantly to the rapid development of the vertical farming sector. Even though applying “white lights" for human lighting has reduced the cost of initial investments compared to that of "specialized" horticultural lamps, most research has focused on blue (B) and red (R) spectra. In this study, three different kinds of “white light” were used, a “neutral” (N) light, a “full” (F) light, and a “SunLike” (S) light with B:G:R:FR ratios 14:32:43:10, 16:36:40:8 and 21:34:36:7, respectively. During the experiment, Cichorium spinosum L. plants were grown in a vertical farm for 36 days, with a light intensity of 300 umols m⁻² s⁻¹ and photoperiod of 12 hours. A few days before the plants reached the commercially salable stage, gas exchange measurements were conducted to determine whether the type of light had any significant effect on the photosynthetic capacity of the plants. In addition, leaf morphological characteristics (such as leaf thickness, spongy and palisade parenchyma thickness, stomatal density, and stomata size( were measured. Moreover, the number of leaves, their surface area, and the fresh and dry weight of the edible leaves were measured during harvest. The results showed that the productivity, general morphology, and photosynthetic capacity of Cichorium spinosum L. were not significantly affected by the type of white light used in this work.