Application of ultraviolet a led as a disinfectant and morphological effects on indoor grown lettuce

Abstract Lettuce (Lactuca sativa ‘Parris Island’), commonly grown in vertical farms for sustainable production, has been studied for its response to UVA LED light, but its disinfectant potential remains unexplored. Hence, the proposal intends to cover two important aspects, the development of the pl...

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Main Authors: Ruth Elizabet Martinez-Escobedo, Ernesto Olvera-Gonzalez, Edgar Zacarias-Moreno, Julissa Elayne Cosme-Castorena, Aldonso Becerra Sanchez, Nivia Escalante-Garcia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95610-w
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author Ruth Elizabet Martinez-Escobedo
Ernesto Olvera-Gonzalez
Edgar Zacarias-Moreno
Julissa Elayne Cosme-Castorena
Aldonso Becerra Sanchez
Nivia Escalante-Garcia
author_facet Ruth Elizabet Martinez-Escobedo
Ernesto Olvera-Gonzalez
Edgar Zacarias-Moreno
Julissa Elayne Cosme-Castorena
Aldonso Becerra Sanchez
Nivia Escalante-Garcia
author_sort Ruth Elizabet Martinez-Escobedo
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Lettuce (Lactuca sativa ‘Parris Island’), commonly grown in vertical farms for sustainable production, has been studied for its response to UVA LED light, but its disinfectant potential remains unexplored. Hence, the proposal intends to cover two important aspects, the development of the plant and its disinfection during cultivation, to obtain plants that are ready for consumption. Three LED light treatments were configured: Mode 1 (WBUVA-P) and Mode 2 (WBUVA-C) used White + Blue + UVA (395 nm), with intermittent and continuous application, respectively. The Control applied White + Blue (WB), denoted as Mode 3. A specific evaluation of different parameters, such as disinfection and identification of bacteria, biomass, chlorophyll content (SPAD units), and leaf area (LA), was conducted in the experiment. The most effective results were obtained with Mode 1 (WBUVA-P), achieving a 99.90% disinfection rate and promoting organic matter accumulation, as shown by increased leaf area, fresh weight, and dry weight. In contrast, Mode 2 (WBUVA-C) reached a 99.00% disinfection rate but did not significantly impact organic matter compared to the Control. These results suggest that UVA-LED radiation can be a valuable tool for food production, enhancing disinfection and organic matter content. However, further studies are needed to explore different intermittent UVA-LED emission durations and test other wavelengths.
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spelling doaj-art-6167a19205ff4c2c87927bbafdf827682025-08-20T02:10:16ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-95610-wApplication of ultraviolet a led as a disinfectant and morphological effects on indoor grown lettuceRuth Elizabet Martinez-Escobedo0Ernesto Olvera-Gonzalez1Edgar Zacarias-Moreno2Julissa Elayne Cosme-Castorena3Aldonso Becerra Sanchez4Nivia Escalante-Garcia5Artificial Illumination Laboratory (LIA), National Technological Institute of Mexico, Pabellón de Arteaga CampusArtificial Illumination Laboratory (LIA), National Technological Institute of Mexico, Pabellón de Arteaga CampusArtificial Illumination Laboratory (LIA), National Technological Institute of Mexico, Pabellón de Arteaga CampusDepartment of Economic and Administrative Sciences, National Technological Institute of Mexico, Pabellón de Arteaga CampusAcademic Unit of Electrical Engineering, Autonomous University of ZacatecasArtificial Illumination Laboratory (LIA), National Technological Institute of Mexico, Pabellón de Arteaga CampusAbstract Lettuce (Lactuca sativa ‘Parris Island’), commonly grown in vertical farms for sustainable production, has been studied for its response to UVA LED light, but its disinfectant potential remains unexplored. Hence, the proposal intends to cover two important aspects, the development of the plant and its disinfection during cultivation, to obtain plants that are ready for consumption. Three LED light treatments were configured: Mode 1 (WBUVA-P) and Mode 2 (WBUVA-C) used White + Blue + UVA (395 nm), with intermittent and continuous application, respectively. The Control applied White + Blue (WB), denoted as Mode 3. A specific evaluation of different parameters, such as disinfection and identification of bacteria, biomass, chlorophyll content (SPAD units), and leaf area (LA), was conducted in the experiment. The most effective results were obtained with Mode 1 (WBUVA-P), achieving a 99.90% disinfection rate and promoting organic matter accumulation, as shown by increased leaf area, fresh weight, and dry weight. In contrast, Mode 2 (WBUVA-C) reached a 99.00% disinfection rate but did not significantly impact organic matter compared to the Control. These results suggest that UVA-LED radiation can be a valuable tool for food production, enhancing disinfection and organic matter content. However, further studies are needed to explore different intermittent UVA-LED emission durations and test other wavelengths.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95610-wIntermittent lightLEDPlantsPlant-microorganism disinfectionUV-A
spellingShingle Ruth Elizabet Martinez-Escobedo
Ernesto Olvera-Gonzalez
Edgar Zacarias-Moreno
Julissa Elayne Cosme-Castorena
Aldonso Becerra Sanchez
Nivia Escalante-Garcia
Application of ultraviolet a led as a disinfectant and morphological effects on indoor grown lettuce
Scientific Reports
Intermittent light
LED
Plants
Plant-microorganism disinfection
UV-A
title Application of ultraviolet a led as a disinfectant and morphological effects on indoor grown lettuce
title_full Application of ultraviolet a led as a disinfectant and morphological effects on indoor grown lettuce
title_fullStr Application of ultraviolet a led as a disinfectant and morphological effects on indoor grown lettuce
title_full_unstemmed Application of ultraviolet a led as a disinfectant and morphological effects on indoor grown lettuce
title_short Application of ultraviolet a led as a disinfectant and morphological effects on indoor grown lettuce
title_sort application of ultraviolet a led as a disinfectant and morphological effects on indoor grown lettuce
topic Intermittent light
LED
Plants
Plant-microorganism disinfection
UV-A
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-95610-w
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