ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Crop and Product Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1655271
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancements in Light Management Strategies for Crop ProductivityView all 6 articles
A 6-hour light-dark cycle reduces photosynthesis and leaf greenness in spring wheat at stem elongation through nitrate accumulation
Provisionally accepted
- Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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The closed environments of space farming and vertical farming systems allow for the implementation of innovative short light-dark cycles. These cycles have the potential to accelerate plant development and synchronize the short light period with off-peak electricity prices, thereby maximizing profitability. Previous work showed that growing spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under a 6h-6h light-dark cycle resulted in accelerated heading and satisfactory yield. The present study investigates pre-anthesis development under this photoperiod, with a focus on the stem elongation phase as critical period for yield determination. In addition, the effect of transitioning to a 14h-10h light-dark cycle, mimicking spring conditions in the field, at heading was examined. This was assessed across sequential growth chamber experiments in combination with variations in light intensity and CO2 concentration. Wheat phenology and leaf traits, including SPAD values, nitrogen and nitrate content and photosynthetic rates, were monitored. SPAD values, and thus leaf greenness, declined significantly in leaves developing around the start of stem elongation, leading to reduced photosynthetic rates. In these leaves, nitrate accumulation was detected. SPAD values increased following the shift to a 14h-10h light-dark cycle at heading. This increase coincided with higher photosynthetic rates, underscoring the importance of aligning photoperiod regimes with plant developmental stages to optimize wheat production in controlled environments.
Keywords: Triticum aestivum (wheat), pre-anthesis development, nitrogen metabolism, Stem elongation, source-sink, SPAD, Photosynthesis, turgor-driven growth
Received: 27 Jun 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Clauw, Van de Put, Sghaier, Kerkaert, Vermeir and Steppe. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Helena Clauw, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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