Open Access

ARTICLE

Do Blue Light and UV-A Interact Synergistically to Affect Growth and Quality of Celery? A Case Study of Individual vs. Combined Effects

Jinxiu Song¹, Zhixin Li², Wenwen Di², Qiaoshuo Hou², Xiaoming Song¹, Long Wang³, Qi Liu², Zejin Zhang⁴, Zhengnan Yan^2,*

1 College of Agricultural Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
2 College of Horticulture, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
3 College of Civil Engineering, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, China
4 Horticulture Research Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu, China

* Corresponding Author: Zhengnan Yan. Email:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2026, 95(7), 25 https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2026.086028

Received 22 May 2026; Accepted 18 June 2026; Issue published 30 July 2026

Abstract

Blue light and ultraviolet-A (UV-A) radiation are critical light-quality regulators that coordinately modulate plant growth and quality in protected horticulture. However, their interactive effects on celery (Apium graveolens L.) remain inadequately characterized. In the present study, we quantified the individual and combined impacts of supplemental UV-A and blue light on the growth, biomass accumulation, photosynthetic performance, and nutritional quality of celery (cv. Dayehuang) in a plant factory with artificial lighting. Our results demonstrated that sole UV-A or blue light application significantly increased biomass, nutritional quality, and light use efficiency (LUE) of celery. Notably, combined supplementation with UV-A and blue light did not enhance chlorophyll content, biomass accumulation, or nutritional quality in celery relative to supplementation with either light quality alone. The principal component analysis (PCA) score plot exhibited clear separation among the four light treatments, with the UV-A treatment distinctly separated along the positive PC1 axis. Our findings demonstrate that UV-A and blue light regulate plant growth and quality via interactive rather than additive effects. Additionally, sole UV-A irradiation significantly improved celery growth and LUE. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for optimizing the light environment for celery under protected cultivation.

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Keywords

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