Tomato breeding for improved performance under LED supplemental lighting

Differences in growth have been reported for tomatoes under LED compared to HPS light, however, it is not clear if breeding specific for LED supplemental light is worthwhile.

Therefore, the researchers derived four recombinant inbred line (RIL) tomato populations from parents with contrasting growth responses to different light spectra.

These populations were grown for four weeks under supplemental HPS or 95% red and 5% blue LED light in the greenhouse.

The research concludes that the study does not justify tomato breeding programs that are specifically targeted at 95% red and 5% blue LED supplemental lighting.