Increasing Qualities of Amaranth Microgreens Under Plant Factory System by LED light

Microgreens are seedlings grown from the seeds of vegetables, herbs, and grains that are regarded as functional food with high mineral contents and helpful bioactive compounds. Nowadays, the research on the effects of light factors affecting the growth and quality of microgreens is usually confined. Therefore, this study was focused on determining the optimal light spectrum that enhanced the growth and nutritional values of Thai amaranth microgreens with growth LED artificial light. There were cultured under different light spectra for 8 days provided by illuminated continuously 16 hours for a day. The experiment was replicated three times using statistics of a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Thai amaranth microgreens gave different light spectrums: red, blue, red + blue (70:30), and white. The results revealed that the light spectrum played an important role in the production of phytochemicals in Thai amaranth microgreens. Although the monochromatic blue spectrum had the worst overall performance, it provided the highest antioxidant capacities of Thai amaranth microgreens. For the overall performance, a red and blue ratio of (70:30) LED spectrum can increase the nutritional value of Thai amaranth microgreens, according to the findings.