The effect of combination lighting of LED and neon light on the growth and yield of potato seeds on the production of aeroponic seeds in the tropical highland

Abstract

The lack of solar radiation which reaches potato plants in extreme weather conditions can reduce potato seed production in aeroponic systems. Production of aeroponic potato seedlings in the Indonesian highlands will reduce the number of tubers under conditions of low sunlight. Frequently, misty weather in the highlands inhibits the formation and growth of tubers. In view of this, there is a need to study the addition of the light using different type of lighting and the effect on growth and yield of aeroponic potato seeds. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of light addition from LED and neon lights on the growth and yield of potato seeds in an aeroponic system. This study was conducted in agreenhouse at the Banjarnegara Potato Seed Company, Central Java, Indonesia. The research site was at an altitude of 1500 m above sea level. The potato seedsused were Granola variety, produced from tissue culture. The electric conductivity (EC) of nutrition used was 1.8–2 mS / cm. The nutrition acidity (pH) used was 6.The following lamp types (TL) were investigated: LED1 (12 watts), LED2 (18W), Neon1 (8W), Neon2 (16W), and no additional lighting. Arandomized complete block design (RAK) was used with four repetitions. The lamp distance was 90 cm above the surface of the styrofoam. Plant growth parametersthat were determined included plant height, number of leaves, number of tubers and tuber weight. Growth data and other results were analyzed by F-test and also with Duncan's Multiple Range Test (DMRT) 5% level. The result of the F-test analysis showed that there was an effect of lamp treatment on plant height, number of leaves, number of tubers, and tuber weight. Plant height with the 18W LED light indicated the greatest plant height response and was not significantly different from plants grown without additional light at 40 and 50 days after planting. The highest number of leaves occurred with the 18W LED light at 50 days after planting. The supply of lighting using 18W LED light has the potential for more high than other types of lights in this research. However, the result of 18W LED lights were inferior to results without additional lighting. Therefore, further research is needed on the lamp power and the height the lamp placed above the plant.

Keywords: Aeroponics, potato seeds, tropical highland, control, LED light, neon lighting