Effect of Various Photoperiods Towards Lollo Bionda Growth Using IoT Based Lighting Control For Indoor Hydroponic Farming System

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9th International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Environment IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1114 (2022) 012069 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1114/1/012069
Effect of various photoperiods towards lollo bionda growth

using IoT based lighting control for indoor hydroponic
farming system
A M M Shafie1, A Azlan2, M Z Sariman 1*, M M B Mustafa1, H Sulaiman1, and

Fairuz K2
1
Agricultural Technology Research Group, Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology,
Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Melaka, Kampus Jasin, 77300 Merlimau
Melaka, Malaysia
2
Faculty of Plantation and Agrotechnology, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan
Melaka, Kampus Jasin, 77300 Merlimau Melaka, Malaysia
Corresponding author: zahar5099@uitm.edu.my
Abstract. Sustainable agriculture is actively developed to ensure food security which is a major
threat to the world population in 2050 as projected by the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO). The increasingly limited agricultural land nowadays makes indoor farming the best.
Indoor farming is the method of growing crops in vertically stacked layers by implementing
hydroponic and artificial light. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) have been widely used to mimic
sunlight for plant growth. However, every plant growth depends on the difference optimal value
of light quality (light spectrums) and quantity (photoperiod). This study investigates the effect
of light exposure on Lollo Bionda growth and determines which growing environment will
provide optimum results in growing Lollo Bionda. This study conducted four types of
experiments with different photoperiod treatments, namely T1 (no light exposure), T2 (24
hours), T3 (18 hours) and T4 (12 hours), with six replicates. The results show significant
differences between each treatment mean. T2 provides the most significant result for all
parameters compared to other treatments. In summary, light exposure helps in the productivity
consistency in terms of weight, height and average leaf size of Lollo Bionda. This finding can
be beneficial to the small-medium size entrepreneur.
1. Introduction
Food security has become a major national and global issue in the past several years. According to the
United Nations, nearly 9% of the global population face hunger, and an estimated 840 million will face
food insecurity by 2050[1]. One of the pillars of food security is related to the production and distribution
of food, primarily through agricultural resources. However, the limitation of agricultural land due to
urbanisation is becoming more challenging; therefore, the soilless cultivation approach is the best option
for food production.
Soilless cultivation has been incorporated into horticulture production to optimise inputs, for
instance, water and fertiliser [2]. The hydroponic method is one of example in soilless cultivation.
Previous research shows no differences between hydroponically and soil-grown lettuce when looking at
the plant head, such as colour, plant size, leaf size, plant head size, and leaf shape [3]. Besides, the
hydroponic method is very likely integrated with urban farming applications such as vertical farming,
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution
of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd 1
greenhouses, hoop houses and indoor farming with artificial lighting [4]. Furthermore, the researcher
also stated that the advantages of agriculture indoors using greenhouses would produce plants all year
and improve pest management. In addition, vegetable cultivation in open areas is fraught with biotic and
abiotic hazards and uncertainties such as insect assaults, droughts, floods, and high winds compared to
indoor farming. Besides, growing vegetables in a controlled environment with the most appropriate
technology, such as lighting management, can produce high yields and reduce growth [5].
Light is one of the main environmental parameters regulating plant physiology throughout the entire
plant life cycle, as plants use light as both an energy source for photosynthesis and regulate many other
key processes related to plant growth and development [6]. According to previous study [7], plant
productivity is influenced by light quality and quantity. Light quality includes intensity (fluence rate)
and duration (photoperiod). Meanwhile, light quantity is the wavelength composition which is also
important for plant growth and photomorphogenesis and tissue composition.
Each of the light spectrums that affect the plant response has been discussed by previous researchers,
for instance the red light affects the photosynthetic apparatus development, and red and blue light are
most efficiently utilised for photosynthesis [8]. Blue light influences stomatal opening, plant height and
chlorophyll biosynthesis, while far red light stimulates flowering in long-day plants and red/far red ratio
regulates stem elongation and branching, leaf expansion, and reproduction [9]. Finally, green light can
drive long-term development and short-term acclimation to light conditions, acting from a chloroplast
scale to a whole-plant level which improves crop productivity and yield [10].
Customised light spectrum, such as a spectrum that mimics solar light ranging at 440-450 nm and
650-660 nm wavelength can be generated using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) [11]. According to
previous study [12], combining red and blue light is an excellent lighting source for plant development,
in the study prove that lettuce was grown under mixed red and blue light, reduced total dry mass of
lettuce, and increased nitrate content. Lettuce cultivated under fluorescent lights is shown to have a
broad-spectrum advantage compared to restricted spectrum LEDs [13].
Previous research also stated that the photoperiod is an element that influences lettuce development
in a confined environment. Photoperiod has long been recognised to influence plant vegetative and
reproductive growth. Photoperiod also appears to alter the levels of several secondary metabolites [14].
Furthermore, prolonged photoperiods promote plant development, which increases leaf area and
chlorophyll content. In addition, prolonged photoperiods can also help to enhance lettuce and kale yield
while also shortening the production cycle [15]. Besides, the researcher found that lettuce grown under
an 8-hour light cycle and 16-hour dark cycle had more leaves, dry weight, photosynthetic rate, and less
water and mineral uptakes than the lettuce produced under a 4-hour light on an 8-hour dark cycle.
Therefore, the fresh weight of lettuce increased when the photoperiod was increased [16].
A review of plant responses to the light spectrum of artificial lighting in vegetable and ornamental
crops, in terms of growth and photomorphogenesis, and the state of the art of research on LEDs in
greenhouse horticulture has been discussed by Paradiso [17]. The use of Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
is very important as an alternative light source for the plant to grow. LEDs have several advantages,
including consumption of lesser power, longer half-life, higher efficacy, and a wider variation in the
spectral wavelength than traditional light sources; therefore, these devices are preferred for in vitro
culture and indoor plant growth [18].
However, studies on optimum regulation often result in continual supplementary illumination. Extra
illumination may enhance the incidence of tip-burn in greenhouse lettuce. Tip-burn is a problem in
lettuce production in plant factories. Furthermore, research reveals that lettuce does not grow ideally
when continuous artificial illumination in a plant factory increases. As a result, specific dark hours are
required [19]. Therefore, the objective of this research was to investigate the effect of different
photoperiod LED lighting on the morphology of green coral lettuce( Lollo Bionda) to determine the best
photoperiod treatment for the cultivation of Lollo Bionda (L.Bionda). The research hypothesis was the
cultivation of L.Bionda seedlings under the effect of lights with varying photoperiods would differently
affect morphological properties. The varying exposure time of light will be measured as variable
2
parameters, and the nutrient content, pH and water level of the solution are constant parameters. The
parameters are measured and controlled by using a monitoring-IoT-based system.
2. Methodology
This section represents the methods used to carry out the experiment, which includes the preparation of
L.Bionda seeds, the hydroponic growth chamber setup, photoperiod automation and the Design of
Experiment (DOE).
2.1 Green coral lettuce (L.Bionda)

The short growth cycle of lettuce is favourable for cultivating it in the hydroponic system[20]. The seeds
are pre-sown on a cubical sponge with a dimension of 25 mm on each side for the germination process.
The seeds used in every experiment are from the variety LT40 Green Ribbon produced by Crop Power
Sdn. Bhd. It is kept moist by using tap water for 14 days before transplanting them into the growth
chamber. Ten seeds are germinated, and only 6 of the best seedlings are selected to be transplanted.
2.2 Hydroponic
The hydroponic channel used is rectangular-shaped (4” x 2” x 1 m) since the hydroponic cultivation
technique selected is the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT). There are four planting levels representing
different treatments (T1, T2, T3 and T4), as depicted in Figure 1. However, each planting level is
irrigated with the same Hydroponic Nutrient Solution (HNS) to eliminate the effect of extraneous
variables such as the potential of hydrogen (pH) and electrical conductivity (EC). As for the source of
light, nine identical Light Emitting Diode (LED) grow lights are used for the research, where each level
is equipped with three LED grow lights. However, there is a single level which does not require any
source of light as per setting of the experiments. The length of the LED grow light is 50 cm each. The
colour ratio of the LED grow light is 3:1:1, which represents red, blue and white. Additionally, the
distance between the LED grow light and the NFT channel for all levels is approximately 27 cm apart.
LED automation
box
LED
Grow light
Hydroponic
System
Vertical stack
HNS Tank
frame
Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the growth chamber
The hydroponic system was constructed using a hydroponic gutter filled with hydroponics nutrient
AB solution, which initial pH of 6.35 and electrical conductivity (EC) of 1.33 mS cm-1. The hydroponics
nutrient AB solution and pH level were taken weekly to maintain the consistency of nutrient supply to
each plant. The pH water level in this system has been maintained at around 5.5 to 7.0 and EC level
3
around 1.3 mS cm-1 to 1.4 mS cm-1 used pH meter and EC meter to measure nutrient concentration.
This system used the nutrient film technique (NFT) to consistently deliver nutrients to the plants,
requiring a 12V DC water pump. Optimal controls can be provided by continuously using the DC
voltage for operating the water pump. Bypass-pipe was made to keep water flowing slowly and
consistently supply nutrients to bare roots. The hydroponic cultivation bed (100 cm x 10.16 cm x 5.08
cm) placed in the centre of the shelf holds two plants per bed. The planting distance between plants was
15 cm, and the panting distance between the centre of the hydroponic bed and the planting hole was 10
cm. The planting holes for the hydroponic cultivation bed were drilled using an iron hole saw with a
diameter of 48mm.
2.3 Photoperiod automation

As mentioned earlier, the monitoring -IoT-based system is objective to control the various photoperiod
as treatments in this study. After transplantation, plants were grown under four different photoperiod
treatments consisting of T1 (No treatment), T2 (24 hours), T3 (18 hours), and T4 (12 hours) using an
ESP 32 for a controlled LED grow light period for each treatment. The ESP 32 has a WiFi module
connected with WiFi to provide and monitor the data in the BLYNK platform by using this software on
our phones. The data from the BLYNK platform was used "Super Chart" widget to display light data
for each level's fair treatment. The lighting source used was LED grow light (AC 240 V-240 V) for each
treatment level with the red to white to the blue ratio (R:W:B) of 3:1:1, and the length of the LED grow
light was 50 cm. The LED grow light was placed in the centre of the hydroponic bed, which 3 LED
grow light for each treatment except for T1, where no light source was required in this treatment. The
Relay was used in this experiment connected with ESP 32 to turn on or turn off the light source for
different levels. ESP 32 is also connected with a 12V DC water pump that regulates the HNS as
presented in Figure 2.
IoT system
Cloud
(Server)
LED 3:1:1
Red, White, Blue
T1
Microcontroller T2
(ESP 32) T3
T4
12V DC
Water pump
Figure 2. Schematic diagram of the photoperiod automation
The design of the experiment uses Complete Randomized Design (CRD). The HNS is regulated to
maintain the pH level and EC level of 6.5 and 1.6 mS/cm from planting to harvest. Additionally, these
parameters are monitored daily and adjustment is made if there is any fluctuation in the reading. Every
level of the growth chamber is supplied with the same source of HNS. The manipulated variable of the
experiment is the photoperiod of the plant. There are four treatments, namely T1, T2, T3 and T4 which
represent the photoperiod of 0 hours, 24 hours, 18 hours and 12 hours daily. On the other hand, the
responding variables of the experiment are the height, average leaf size width, average leaf size length,
4
leaf number, root length and weight of L. Bionda. There are six replications of the experiment for each
treatment. The planting period for each replication is 30 days.
3. Result and discussion

The result obtained through the experiment is tabulated in Table 1. There are four treatments, namely
T1, T2, T3 and T4 which represent the photoperiod of 0 hours, 24 hours, 18 hours and 12 hours daily.
The maximum growth can be seen on the plants subjected to the T2, which can be observed by the
measured parameter value. The plant subjected to the T1 were observed to die on the second day after
transplanting. Meanwhile, the plant subjected to T3 and T4 can be seen that the value of each parameter
was approximately equal except for the average height.
Table 1. Data collection

Average Average Average Average
Average Average
leaf size leaf size leaf root
Treatment Replication height weight
width length number length
(cm) (g)
(cm) (cm) (n) (cm)
R1 3 2 2 2 2 0
R2 3 3 3 3 3 0
R3 2 3 4 2 4 0
*T1
R4 3 3 3 3 2 0
R5 2 2 2 2 3 0
R6 2 2 3 2 3 0
R1 25 17 19 25 15 239
R2 24 16 18 22 16 220
R3 22 16 18 24 17 225
T2
R4 23 16 19 24 15 230
R5 25 15 17 23 16 233
R6 23 17 17 22 17 229
R1 18 11 14 12 13 121
R2 19 10 12 11 12 119
R3 20 8 11 12 11 122
T3
R4 17 9 12 11 13 118
R5 20 10 14 10 11 120
R6 18 8 13 12 12 116
R1 15 10 13 10 9 120
R2 15 9 12 10 10 121
R3 16 8 11 9 8 120
T4
R4 14 9 10 10 9 118
R5 15 10 12 8 10 116
R6 14 8 10 8 9 120
* Plants subjected to T1 treatment were observed to have died on the 2nd day after transplanting.
All treatments were analysed with single factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) to all parameters
tested to determine their significant differences. Whenever there were significant results, Tukey’s-b was
applied to determine the pairwise comparison between all treatments. Analysis was performed with
IBM-SPSS Statistics version 22.
The effect of the various photoperiod to the L.Bionda height was conducted, six samples were
allocated for each treatment and the plant response in height was measured on a validated score. The
results show that the F-ratio is 515.380, which gives a p-value of p<0.01 (with degree of freedom 23).
Figure 3 present the data, showing significant difference in each treatment means. The highest means
subjected to T2 (24 hours), followed by T3, T4 and T1, respectively. These results show that the height
of L.Bionda is proportional to the exposure time.
5
Furthermore, a study on the effect of the various photoperiod on the L.bionda root length was also
conducted. The results show that the F-ratio is 269.431, which gives a p-value, p<0.01 as depicted in
Figure 4. A significant difference was also shown in all the parameters measured and the highest means
to lowest as T2, T3, T4 and T1 accordingly. This study proves that the effects of the exposure LED grow
light to the root grow rate.
A similar trend is also shown in the study on the effect of various photoperiods on the L.Bionda leaf.
Figure 5 shows the result of response in mean leaf number, showing the F-ratio is 545.396 and p-value,
p<0.01. The highest means on plants subjected to T2 and lowest on T1. However, the result on mean
leaf length and leaf width showing T3 and T4 is not significant as shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7. The
value of the F-ratio of mean leaf width and leaf length was 238.652, p<0.01 and 220.297, p<0.01,
respectively. This study reported that the increasing photoperiod would affect the leaf number, width
and length
30 df=23 , F=515.380 , P<0.01

d
Mean of Plant Height
25
c
20 b
(cm) +-S.E
15
10
5 a
0
no light 24-hours 18-hours 12-hours
exposure exposure exposure exposure
Treatment
Figure 3. Mean of L.Bionda plant height in different treatments
18 d df=23 , F=269.431 , P<0.01

Mean of Root Length (cm) +-
16
14 c
12
10 b
8
S.E
6
4 a
2
0
Treatment
Figure 4. Mean of L.Bionda root length in different treatments

Study on the effects of various photoperiods on the L.Bionda weight was conducted. The results
show that the F-ratio is 4152.757 which P value p<0.01 as depicted in Figure 8. The highest mean value
on the plant subjected to T2 and the lowest plant subjected to T1. Meanwhile, there is no significant
difference between T3 and T4. From the results also shows the important of exposure time to the LED
grow light can manipulate weight of the L.Bionda.
The plant subjected to T1 is the lowest in all the parameter measured due to the plant is observed to
have died is the second day after transplanting to the hydroponic system. The absence of photosynthesis
in this treatment which the process of plants converting light, oxygen and water into carbohydrates
(energy) cannot be performed. The plant subjected to T2, T3 and T4 is observed successfully grow to
6
the harvesting stage. However, the growth rate of T2 is faster than the others. While for T3 and T4, the
plant is observed to achieve the harvesting stage at almost the same duration. From this study, the
LBionda growth response toward the various photoperiod of the LED grows light. Besides, the IoT-
based system successfully controlled the photoperiod in each treatment.
30 df=23 , F=545.396 , P<0.01

Mean of Leaf Number +-S.E
25 d
20
15 c
b
10
5 a
0
Treatment
Figure 5. Mean of L.Bionda leaf number in different treatments
20 df=23 , F=238.652 , P<0.01

c
Mean of Leaf Width (cm)
15
b b
10
+-S.E
5 a
0
Treatment
Figure 6. Mean of L.Bionda leaf width in different treatments

20 c df=23 , F=220.297 , P<0.01
Mean of Leaf Length
15 b
b
(cm) +-S.E
10
5 a
0
Treatment
Figure 7. Mean of L.Bionda leaf length in different treatments
7
250 c df=23 , F=4152.757 , P<0.01
Mean of Weight (gram) +-

200
150 b b
100
S.E
50
a
0
-50
Treatment
Figure 8. Mean of L.Bionda plant weight in different treatments
4. Conclusion
The duration of light exposure to the L.Bionda affected the growth of lettuce, such as height, average
leaf size, size number, root length, and weight. Based on this study, the long photoperiod of L.Bionda
with the combination of LED grow light with the red to white to a blue ratio (R: W: B) of 3:1:1 increases
the growth of L. Bionda.
The 24 hours photoperiod treatment resulted in the highest growth compared to 18 and 12 hours
treatments. However, the increase of photoperiod has increased the electric power consumption, which
increases the operating cost. Therefore, the photoperiod of 12 hours per day provided by LED with (R:
W: B) ratio of 3:1:1 was recommended for hydroponic L.Bionda production under a controlled
environment to the grower that wants to save their cost. However, a photoperiod of 24 hours was
recommended to the grower that wants to boost L.Bionda production. This treatment decreases the cycle
of lettuce and gains more profit than the photoperiod of 12 hours.
Acknowledgement
The registration fees is funded by Pembiayaan Yuran Prosiding Berindeks (PYPB), Tabung Dana
Kecermelangan Pendidikan (DKP), Universiti Teknologi MARA. The authors would like to express our
immense gratitude to Ministry of Higher Education and Universiti Teknologi MARA for their support,
motivation and inspiration for this research work.
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IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science

PAPER • OPEN ACCESS You may also like

- Studies on callus induction of Valeriana

This content was downloaded from IP address 202.58.91.61 on 14/03/2023 at 07:20

Effect of various photoperiods towards lollo bionda growth

A M M Shafie1, A Azlan2, M Z Sariman 1*, M M B Mustafa1, H Sulaiman1, and

Corresponding author: zahar5099@uitm.edu.my

2.1 Green coral lettuce (L.Bionda)

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the growth chamber

2.3 Photoperiod automation

Figure 2. Schematic diagram of the photoperiod automation

3. Result and discussion

Table 1. Data collection

30 df=23 , F=515.380 , P<0.01

Figure 3. Mean of L.Bionda plant height in different treatments

18 d df=23 , F=269.431 , P<0.01

Figure 4. Mean of L.Bionda root length in different treatments

30 df=23 , F=545.396 , P<0.01

Figure 5. Mean of L.Bionda leaf number in different treatments

20 df=23 , F=238.652 , P<0.01

Figure 6. Mean of L.Bionda leaf width in different treatments

250 c df=23 , F=4152.757 , P<0.01

Mean of Weight (gram) +-

Figure 8. Mean of L.Bionda plant weight in different treatments

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