EGU25-19862, updated on 15 Mar 2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-19862
EGU General Assembly 2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Photoperiod and Light Intensity Impact on Wild Edible Vegetables Performance: From Controlled Environment Agriculture to Crop Resilience
Dimitris Papadimitriou1, Chistina Moschou1, Ioannis Louloudakis1, Michael Sabathianakis1, Ioannis Christoforakis1, Ioannis Livas2, Ioannis Daliakopoulos2, and Thrassyvoulos Manios2
Dimitris Papadimitriou et al.
  • 1Alagro Alternative Agricultural Options Ltd., Attiki, Greece
  • 2Hellenic Mediterranean University, Department of Agriculture, Laboratory of Natural Resources, Management & Agricultural Engineering, Greece

Climate change and urbanisation imposes substantial challenges on the agricultural sector, leading to various environmental and food security impacts. At the same time, there is a growing demand for high-quality, year-round, fresh vegetables which drives water and natural resources overexploitation. To mitigate these pressures, high-intensity cultivation strategies such as hydroponics and controlled environment farming systems are becoming more popular. In this context, given their substantial nutritional and culinary properties, wild edible vegetables are receiving renewed attention. Considering this background, here we investigate the impact of (a) photoperiod and (b) light intensity on yield performance of the wild edible green Scolymus hispanicus L (Asteraceae), wild relative of the domesticated globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus), in indoor cultivation. Four treatments were applied including (a) a long photoperiod (16 hours of light and 8 dark), (b) short photoperiod (8 hours of light and 16 dark), (c) a low light intensity (40 μmol m-2 s-1) and (d) high light intensity (240 μmol m-2 s-1), using LEDs (Samsung SMD2835, Honglitronics) at a distance of one meter above the crop. Treatments were conducted in four growth chambers with adjustable photoperiod and light intensity regimes and constant temperature and air humidity levels. In each growth chamber, 15 Scolymus hispanicus L. plants were transplanted into 10 L pots and arranged on 3 gutters at a density of 9 plants m-2. Plants were fertigated daily (modified Hoagland nutrient solution), each with an individual emitter at a flow rate of 0.4 - 0.7 L plant-1 day-1. Results indicate that long photoperiod treatment was associated with increased rosette diameter (59.9±1.8 cm), and root fresh and dry weight (31.35±2.19 and 3.65±0.4 g, respectively) while high light intensity treatment increased shoot fresh and dry weight (118.58±6.34 and 7.55±0.38 g, respectively) and edible root hardness-firmness (1288.72±32.47 g), 90 days after transplant. Based on these results, we conclude that photoperiod and light intensity optimal management can increase marketable yield and quality traits of the wild crop Scolymus hispanicus L., in soilless indoor farming systems.

This work is supported by Optimus project [Grant Agreement ATTΡ4-0356837] with the co-funding of Greece and the European Union.

Reference

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How to cite: Papadimitriou, D., Moschou, C., Louloudakis, I., Sabathianakis, M., Christoforakis, I., Livas, I., Daliakopoulos, I., and Manios, T.: Photoperiod and Light Intensity Impact on Wild Edible Vegetables Performance: From Controlled Environment Agriculture to Crop Resilience, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-19862, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-19862, 2025.