遠赤色光の使い分けによって植物工場レタスの収量と品質を両立する光の新レシピ

2026-03-09 東京大学

東京大学大学院農学生命科学研究科の研究グループは、植物工場で栽培するサニーレタスにおいて、遠赤色光の照射タイミングを調整することで「収量」と「品質」を同時に向上させる光環境設計を提案した。遠赤色光は葉の拡大やキャノピー形成を促進し収量増加に寄与するが、栽培期間中に継続的に照射するとアントシアニンなどの機能性成分が低下する課題があった。本研究では、生育前半に遠赤色光を補光して葉の展開と光獲得効率を高め、その後収穫前に白色光のみに切り替える「光レシピ」を検証した。その結果、最終的な新鮮重や葉面積が増加すると同時に、アントシアニンや関連遺伝子発現も高い水準で維持できることを確認した。遠赤色光を生育段階に応じて使い分けるこの手法は、設備変更を伴わずに収量と品質の両立を実現でき、植物工場における省エネルギーで高付加価値な作物生産技術として期待される。

遠赤色光の使い分けによって植物工場レタスの収量と品質を両立する光の新レシピ
遠赤色光の使い分けによって植物工場レタスの収量と品質を両立する新レシピ

<関連情報>

成長初期段階の遠赤色光はレタスのバイオマスを増加させ、アントシアニンを保存する Far-red light in early growth stages boosts lettuce biomass and preserves anthocyanins

Christopher P Levine ,Keiichiro Tanigawa ,Yu Wakabayashi ,Wei Guo ,Yuchen Qu ,Ichiro Terashima ,Wataru Yamori
Annals of Botany  Published:09 March 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag031

Abstract

Background and Aims

Light plays a dual role in plants, serving as both an energy source and a regulator of development from seedling to senescence. Recently, far-red (FR) radiation has gained attention in the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) science and grower community for its potential to enhance yield through canopy expansion and improved light capture, contributing positively to photosynthesis. This study explores how supplementary FR light promotes lettuce growth and morphology across weekly intervals as well as analysing photosynthetic parameters, pigment accumulation and anthocyanin gene expression.

Methods

Red leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa ‘Red Fire’) was grown in a commercial plant factory with artificial light for 6 weeks. White (W) light, 5000 K, was maintained at 300 μmol m−2 s−1, and FR, when supplemented, was added at 100 μmol m−2 s−1 in addition to the 300 μmol m−2 s−1 of W light. Four lighting treatments were tested under a 16-h photoperiod: (1) W for all 6 weeks (treatment W), (2) 4 weeks of W followed by 2 weeks of supplementary FR (W to W + FR), (3) 4 weeks of FR supplementation followed by 2 weeks of only W (W + FR to W), and (4) W + FR for all 6 weeks (W + FR).

Key Results

The shoot dry weight after 6 weeks in W + FR, W + FR to W and W to W + FR was greater than that in W. Both W + FR and W + FR to W showed a tendency for greater canopy expansion compared with W as well as W to W + FR. There were no significant differences in stomatal conductance among the treatments. On the other hand, in both W and W + FR to W plants the CO2 assimilation rates were enhanced when FR light was supplemented during measurement, compared with when FR was not provided. Anthocyanin accumulation was greater in both W and W + FR to W, consistent with the expression of key genes involved in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway, including anthocyanin synthase (ANS), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H) and dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR).

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that FR supplementation during the early growth stages of lettuce promotes biomass accumulation by enhancing both canopy expansion and photosynthetic activity, while maintaining high levels of functional compounds such as anthocyanins.

1204農業及び蚕糸
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