Light color: a decisive factor for plant growing

Dylan Arias, Andrea Chamba, Jordy Tubon, and Esmeralda Villavicencio

Abstract

Plants growth patterns respond differently according to the light spectrum

(color of light) the plants are exposed to, as certain wavelengths can be absorbed more

efficiently by its photoreceptors. In this experiment, samples of red bean plants were grown

separately under three different colors of light (white, blue, and red) in order to prove the

influence of the light spectrum over their height and weight. The results show a significant

difference between the final height, being the plants exposed to blue light the tallest.

Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in regards to weight. The relation between

wavelength and energy, as well as the processes of photosynthesis and photomorphogenesis

accurately justify and explain the results of the experiment.

Introduction

With the exponential growth of the needs for food and industrial crops,

thousands of scientists, farmers, and agricultural companies have been forced to search for

new ways to obtain higher agricultural yields in places with harsh environmental

conditions. Circumstances such as extreme weather, absence of an appropriate amount of

light, scarcity of nutrients in the soil, or lack of space have stimulated the experimentation

of new techniques, such as hydroponics and plant propagation, to optimize the available

resources. In order for these techniques to be successful, they have to provide the plants

with all the necessary factors for its growth: humidity, available nutrients, CO2, O2, and

light. One of these successful alternatives is the use of grow lights, which are artificial

sources of light that provide the plant with the necessary electromagnetic spectrum to
perform photosynthesis. This kind of lights are mainly used in areas with low availability of

light, or during seasons in which the amount of light received by the crops hinders their

growth and development (Small, 2016). In 1868, the botanist Andrei Famintsyn performed

the first experiments using artificial lights, proving that the rates of photosynthesis were

directly proportional to the intensity of the light to which the plant was exposed (Russian

Botanical Society, 2014). Since then, hundreds of studies have been made regarding the

effects of intensity, wave length, color, and type of artificial light on plant development.

Numerous types of lights have been used for these purpose, among them: HID (High

Intensity Discharge) Lights, fluorescent lights, incandescents, and LED (Light-Emitting

Diodes). LED lights are currently demonstrating to be the most efficient for plant growing.

Philips Lighting demonstrated that the light intensity, spectrum, and color of LED lights

produced a more accelerated growth and development of plants than other types of bulbs

(Thosar & Hogeveen, 2015). Moreover, since 2006, NASA has been using LED technology

to investigate the growth of crops in space, and has already demonstrated that spectrums of

red, blue, and purple LED lights with wavelengths ranging from 400-700nm favorably

affect the development of plants. (Terashima, 2009).

Most of the experiments conducted on Grow Lights have analyzed numerous

variables at the same time: intensity, bulb type, number of hours of exposure, among others.

However, not enough experimenters have focused their research on just one variable. This

experiment responds to a need of more studies about the effect of the color of light as a

unique independent variable. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that the color of

light to which a plant is exposed influences its growth and development. That is, different

colors of light have different effects on the rate and way plants develop and will eventually
make them differ in height and weight. In order to assess the impact that each light color

has on the growth of plants, samples of bean plant (Phaseolus vulgaris) have been

monitored under three different light colors: white, blue, and red.

Methodology

In order to evaluate the effects of light color on the growth and development of

plants, 9 samples of red bean plant (Phaseolus vulgaris) were grown in enclosed boxes for

3 weeks under a different color of LED light for each 3 samples: white, blue, and red. Each

cup or sample had 3 seeds of red bean.

The colors of light red and blue were selected to be proven on the experimental

group, whereas white was selected to stablish a control group. It is important to mention

that all the bulbs used in the experiment had the same brightness: 5W, and that the three

lamps were connected to the same voltage (120V). However, what changes between each

bulb is the wavelength of visible light spectrum, obviously because they have different

colors. The white light emits a visible spectrum of 550nm with a color temperature of 6000

K; the blue light will emits a 500nm spectrum with a color temperature of 6000K; and

finally the red light has a wavelength of 700nm with a color temperature of 4000K.

Before sowing the seeds, the growing environment was prepared. Three carton

boxes of approximately 40 x 25 x 23 cm were perforated 8 holes each (of a 5-cm diameter)

to allow the exchange of gases between the exterior and the enclosed environment. After

that, the 3 lamps containing each LED light bulb (blue, red and white) were connected and

placed inside each box (1 lamp per box). The boxes with the connected lamps were then set

in a place where sunlight could not reach them or even enter the holes.
 Following that, nine plastic cups of 24 oz. were perforated a 0.5cm diameter

hole in the base in order to allow water drain during irrigation. After that, a layer of 5 cm of

compost was added to every cup, and three tender bean seeds were planted in each one.

Then, the beans were covered by a layer of 3 cm more of compost. Each cup was added an

initial amount of water (30 ml) and was labeled. Finally, 3 samples were placed in the

White Light Box; 3 in the Blue Light Box; and the other 3 were placed in the Red Light

Box. Each box was closed with a small removable piece of tape in order to avoid the

entrance of other types of light while permitting at the same time that the experimenters can

open it easily for daily irrigation.

After that, all the samples were subjected to the same conditions in regards to

irrigation and time of exposure to light. During the three weeks of the project, the plants

were irrigated with 30 ml of water daily, divided equally in two irrigation times: one of

15ml at 6 a.m., and the other one of the same quantity of water at 6 p.m. Also, all the

samples were exposed to 12 hours of uninterrupted artificial light, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Along the duration of the project, the plants in the samples were measured in

height twice a week in a scale of centimeters using rubber flexible rulers to obtain accurate

measures without forcing or damaging the plants natural shape. To allow the seeds to

germinate, the first height measurement was taken after 7 days of planting them. After that,

the measurements started taking place twice a week. As three beans were planted in each

cup, if more than 1 plant had grown in a single cup, all of them were measured and

registered in the results chart. However, the average of the plants height in each cup was

taken into account for analyzing the results.

 Weight was also an important variable of the project, and its measurement took

place in the final stage of it. At the end of the fourth week, all the plants were carefully

uprooted from the cups, cleaned and dried by exposing each of them to 1 minute of

microwave heat. Once dried, all the plants were weighted using the portable digital

weighting scale CAMRY, which has a 200 gram capacity and a resolution of 0.1g. Each

plants was weighted twice in order to minimize the error, and the average between both

data was expressed in the charts and used for analyzing the results. Samples with a value of

0 in either height or weight were not taken into account neither for the averages nor for the

statistical analysis.

With the final data of the measurements, an ANOVA statistical analysis was

performed with each dependent variable: one analysis of weight and one of height, in order

to confirm or refute the validity of the hypothesis of the project.

Results

After the first 7 days of the experiment, plants in 4 of the 9 samples had already

started to grow. Of these, 3 samples belonged to the Blue Light Box (Sample 4, 5, and 6)

and 1 sample to the White Light Box (Sample 1). Samples exposed to blue light started to

grow quickly and reached an average height of 15.3 cm in the first measurement. In the

Sample 1 of the White Light Box two small sprouts had developed, reaching a height of

just 2.9 cm each. The two other samples exposed to white light were already showing

visible roots, but the sprout had not come out yet. At that time, plants of the Red Light Box

did not show any signs of growth, neither their roots were visible at the bottom of the cup.
 At the end of the second week of the project, the samples exposed to blue light

(4, 5 and 6) reached an average of 28 cm. In one of them, Sample 6, a second seed had also

germinated and started to grow equally with the previous plant in the same cup.

Additionally, the other two samples exposed to white light (2 and 3) that had not grown in

the first week, were already starting to grow. In samples 1 and 2, three plants started to

grow in each cup, and these additional plants reached a similar height to the ones of their

neighbor plants. Samples 1, 2, and 3, which were the ones of the White Light Box, reached

an average height of 18.4 cm. Finally, from the three Samples exposed to red light (7, 8,

and 9) just samples 7 and 8 showed little sprouts coming out of the surface, with an average

height of 1 cm.

During the third and last week, the samples continued their growth and were

measured twice. At the end of the project, the samples exposed to blue light reached the

highest average height: 39.8 cm 6.77 cm; they were followed by the samples exposed to

white light: 21.4 cm 1.27 cm, and finally, the shortest plants were the ones of the red light

box, which reached an average of 14.4 cm 3,10 cm. Figure 1 represents the average

height of the samples along with their standard deviations. The average weights of the dried

samples gave similar results: the plants under blue light had the highest weight (0.93g

0.13 g), followed by the plants under white light, which reached an average of 0.48 g 0.10

g, and red light, with a measurement of 0.38 g 0.23 g. Figure 2 represents the average

weights of the samples and their standard deviations. Table 1 in the next page displays

further detail about the final measurements of all the samples.

After the statistical analysis of the height of the plants, the p-value obtained was

0.009 which confirms a significant difference between he length measurements between the
samples that were exposed to white, blue, and red light. On the other hand, the p-value

obtained for the weight measurements was 0.08, discarding the existence of a significant

difference in the weight of the plants under the three lights.

 Table 1: Final Data of Height and Weight of the 9 Samples of Bean Plants

DEPENDENT VARIABLE (Plant Growing)

FINAL AVERAGE FINAL WEIGHT AVERAG FINAL OBSERVATIONS
SAMPLE HEIGHT HEIGHT AVERAGE E AVERAGE
PER - HEIGHT WEIGHT -
SAMPLE PER WEIGHT
SAMPLE
Sample 1 Plant 1: 21.8 cm 0.7g Three plants grew, and showed big
Plant 2: 19.5 cm 21.6 cm 0.5g 0.53g leaves with rigid stems.
Plant 3: 23.6 cm 0.4g
Sample 2 Plant 1: 21.6 cm 0.8g Three plants grew, showing big leaves
21.4 cm 0.48g
Plant 2: 23 cm 22.9 cm 0.6g 0.58g and medium diameter stems.
Plant 3: 24.2 cm 0.35g
White
Light

Sample 3 19.8 cm 19.8 cm 0.35g One plant grew, which showed medium
0.35g
leaves and a thick stem.
Sample 4 1.1g One tall plant, with thick stem and big
49.1 cm 49.1 cm 1.1g
leaves. Tallest plant of the 9 samples.
Sample 5 0.9g One tall plant, with the thickest stem and
Blue Light

33.2 cm 33.2 cm 39.8 cm 0.9g 0.93g big leaves.

Sample 6 Plant 1: 36.7 cm 0.8g Two tall plants of similar lenghts. Both
37.1 cm 0.78g showed big leaves and thick stem.
Plant 2: 37.5 cm 0.75g
Sample 7 NVG (0 0g No growth was seen, no visible roots.
NVG (0 cm) 0g
Red Light

cm)
Sample 8 11.6 cm 11.6 cm 14.4 cm 0.8g 0.57g Small plant, with few medium leaves.
0.8g
Sample 9 17.8 cm 17.8 cm 0.35g 0.35g Medium plant, with few big leaves.
*NVG: No visible growth; this means that the sprouts have not came out of the surface at the time of the measurement.
 AVERAGE HEIGHT PER SAMPLE
50
45
40
Height in centimeters (cm)

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
White light Blue light Red light
LIGHTS 21,4 39,8 14,7

Figure 1: Average height in centimeters of each group of samples exposed to the three
lights.

AVERAGE WEIGHT PER SAMPLE

1,2

1
Weight in grams (gr)

0,8

0,6

0,4

0,2

0
White light Blue light Red light
Series1 0,48 0,93 0,57

Figure 2: Average weight in grams of each group of samples exposed to the three lights.
1. Discussion

The results obtained in the experiment confirm that the color of light influences

the plants height and, therefore, their growth in length (primary growth). The main

cause of these is related with the process of photosynthesis. In order to perform

photosynthesis, chloroplasts in the leaves need energy in the form of light. In fact, the

three colors of light used in the experiment can be perfectly absorbed by the chlorophyll

in the leaves, but the energy each photon has depend on its color. The quantity of

energy that a spectrum of light provides is inversely proportional to the size of its

wavelength; therefore, the shorter the wavelength, the higher amount of energy it will

provide (Rece, 2011). In the case of this experiment, plants exposed to the blue light

grew faster and taller than the others because the blue light bulb provided the highest

amount of energy due to having the shortest wavelength (500nm). The samples exposed

to white light also reached a considerable size because white lights wavelength was not

much higher than blues, thus it also provided a significant amount of energy. On the

other hand, the wavelength of red light was the largest of the three (700nm) and, as a

result, it provided less energy than the other two bulbs. That explains why the plants

exposed to this light were about 75% shorter than the plants of the Blue light box, and

55% shorter than the plants in the White light box.

Besides from providing more energy, certain wavelengths of light can be

absorbed more effectively by chloroplast pigments. Since light is only useful for the

plants if it is absorbed, it can also explain why some light colors have a greater

influence over the development of the plant than others. The classic experiment of

Theodore W. Engelmann in 1883 demonstrated the existence of the Photosynthesis

Action Spectrum, which is a chart that profiles the effectiveness of different

wavelengths in the process according to the spectrums that each type of chlorophyll

pigment can absorb. This chart demonstrate that violet and blue light (between 380 to

500 nm) are the most effective as they can be absorbed by chlorophyll a, b, and

carotenoids, whereas the red light of 700nm is poorly absorbed by the pigments (Rece,

2011). If the light of a certain spectrum is absorbed more effectively, it will positively

influence in the growth and development of a plant, because by stimulating

photosynthesis it will provide more material for the plant to grow its tissues. This serves

to explain the positive effect that blue light had over the plants, and the hindering effect

of red light. As white light have a mixture of all the spectrums, including the blue and

purple, its effectiveness is intermediate, as shown by the results of the experiment.

In regards to weight, the results showed that the color of light did not have any

significant effect on the weight of a plant. As plants were considerably different in size

depending on the light they were expose to, it was reasonable that they also showed an

important difference in weight. However, the difference was expressed, but it was not

statistically significant to prove that the weight was influenced by the light color. This

might have occurred because after drying the plants, they lose most of their weight and

as they are relatively small plants, their weights were too negligible to show a

noticeable difference between them.

Some plants showed an enhanced development of leaves and stems, which can

be due to Photomorfogenesis. This is a process independent from photosynthesis- of

light mediated development in which the way a plant grows responds to the light it was

exposed to. This process is driven by photoreceptors, specialized sensors that control
the morphological effects of certain spectrums over a plant. Plants contain from 4 to 5

different photoreceptors for blue light called cryptochromes, while they just contain 1

for red light called phytochrome. Cryptochromes are responsible for the leaf expansion

and the thickness of the stem (Schafer & Nagy, 2006). In the samples exposed to blue

light, leaves were bigger and stems were thicker because the cryptochromes were fully

stimulated and thus enhanced the growth of these parts. In the samples exposed to red

light little to no cryptochromes were stimulated, and as a result, leaves were smaller and

stems were thinner.

The results of the experiment match the ones of previous studies. An

experiment conducted on the growth of plants under LED light in 2007 found that

plants grow deficiently under only red light of over 660nm, and grow healthy under any

kind of blue light. Also, this experiment found that plants growing under red light took

twice as long to germinate and grow than plants exposed to blue or white light (Massa,

Kim, Wheeler, & Mitchell, 2008).

It was successfully demonstrated that light color has a powerful effect over the

primary growth (or growth in length) of plants; depending on the wavelength and rate

of absorption, it can enhance or hinder the growth of plants. Blue light was proved the

most effective for growth in height, while red light was proved the least effective.

Significant differences in dry weight could not be demonstrated, but morphological

differences before being dried demonstrated that blue light also produces plants with

bigger leaves and thicker stems.

References

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Response to LED Lighting.

Rece, J. (2011). Campbell Biology. Pearson Education.

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Schafer, E., & Nagy, F. (2006). Photomorphogenesis in Plants and Bacteria.

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http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/142.html

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