Dieleman J Anja, van Steekelenburg Guido, Weerheim Kees, Kaiser Elias, Meinen Esther, van Hoogdalem Mark
Wageningen University and Research, Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture, Wageningen, Netherlands.
Horticulture and Product Physiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands.
Front Plant Sci. 2025 Jul 8;16:1500197. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1500197. eCollection 2025.
Electricity prices can fluctuate considerably during the day due to the dependency of solar and wind energy and varying demands. Fluctuating lighting regimes might thus be economically attractive. However, only limited knowledge is available on how plants grow under fluctuating light conditions. The aims of this study were (1) to determine effects of fluctuating light intensities on plant biomass, morphology and physiology and (2) to determine whether frequency or amplitude of the fluctuations is the main determining factor of such effects.
Young tomato plants were grown under fluctuating light conditions in a range of amplitudes (200/0, 175/25, 125/75 and 100/100 µmol m s) and frequencies (several hours, 30 minutes, minutes).
Plants grown under extreme light fluctuations of 0/200 µmol m s had reduced shoot biomass, stem length, chlorophyll content and light absorption, compared to plants grown under constant light intensity. The higher the frequency of these light fluctuations, the more severe the effects. Plants responded most extremely when light fluctuated every minute between 0 and 200 µmol m s, having the lowest shoot dry weight, chlorophyll content, leaf area and light absorption. When light fluctuations were applied every minute between 175/25 and 125/75 µmol m s, shoot biomass and morphology were not significantly affected. Net photosynthesis rate of plants grown under 30 min light fluctuations between 200 and 0 µmol m s were reduced compared to constant light and light fluctuations with a smaller amplitude. Linear electron transport rates were significantly reduced for all 200/0 and 175/25 treatments compared to constant light.
These results indicate that the frequency of light fluctuations determines plant biomass, morphology and physiology only at extreme amplitudes of light fluctuations. However, when a minimum light level is maintained, the crop can integrate these light fluctuations, maintaining crop growth and development.
由于太阳能和风能的依赖性以及需求的变化，电价在一天中可能会大幅波动。因此，波动的光照模式在经济上可能具有吸引力。然而，关于植物在波动光照条件下如何生长的知识有限。本研究的目的是：（1）确定波动光强度对植物生物量、形态和生理的影响；（2）确定波动的频率或幅度是否是这些影响的主要决定因素。
将番茄幼苗在一系列幅度（200/0、175/25、125/75和100/100 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹）和频率（数小时、30分钟、分钟）的波动光照条件下培养。
与在恒定光照强度下生长的植物相比，在0/200 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹的极端光照波动下生长的植物，其地上部生物量、茎长、叶绿素含量和光吸收均降低。这些光照波动的频率越高，影响越严重。当光照在0至200 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹之间每分钟波动时，植物反应最为极端，其地上部干重、叶绿素含量、叶面积和光吸收最低。当光照在175/25和125/75 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹之间每分钟波动时，地上部生物量和形态没有受到显著影响。与恒定光照和较小幅度的光照波动相比，在200和0 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹之间进行30分钟光照波动处理的植物，其净光合速率降低。与恒定光照相比，所有200/0和175/25处理的线性电子传递速率均显著降低。
这些结果表明，光照波动的频率仅在光照波动的极端幅度下决定植物生物量、形态和生理。然而，当维持最低光照水平时，作物可以整合这些光照波动，维持作物生长和发育。
