Page 191 - PC2019 Program & Proceedings

PLANT CANADA 2019

S167. Canopy growth manipulation and adventitious root development in Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
cuttings using targeted LED lighting spectra
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Rasool, A.
University of Guelph

Light is a crucial environmental component needed in production of all crops grown in the commercial
greenhouse industry and field environment alike. LED lighting is becoming a more prevalent technology
over traditional irradiation sources due to its growing technical advances and impact on canopy crop
production of ornamentals such as Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. Manipulating the lighting environment can
lead to improved shoot growth and expedited production cycles. More specifically, light qualities
involving high Red: Far-red ratios are shown to signal stem branching and cell elongation, whereas blue
and UV light spectra are shown to decrease cell elongation, creating shorter plant morphology. The
canopy environment is known to be heavily influenced by light quality, thereby manipulations of this
factor can affect canopy development. Cuttings were established in a growth chamber equipped with 6
separate water cooled tuneable LED fixtures. Cuttings of a vigorous rooting variety (Ann) and slow
rooting variety (Ingrid) were planted in a peat-based substrate and grown under an 18- hour photoperiod
with a photosynthetic photon flux density of 300 µmol m−2 s−1. Four red: blue: white light ratios were
evaluated: (1) 90R: 5B: 5W; (2) 70R: 25B: 5W; (3) 40R: 55B: 5W; and (4) 20R: 75B: 5W. Results
for cultivar Ann and Ingrid showed no significant differences in canopy growth under the four light
regimes.

Amilah Rasool (arasool@uoguelph.ca)

S168. Indoor Cannabis sativa L. production: current practices and research directions
Zheng, Y.
University of Guelph

Cannabis sativa L. (cannabis) was legalized in Canada for medicinal and recreational use in 2002 and
2018, respectively. Since the legalizations, the number of licensed producers has been increasing rapidly.
As of today, there are 177 cultivators, processors and sellers that hold a license issued by Health Canada
under the Cannabis Regulations. Most of the licensed producers are expanding their growing facilities to
meet the increasing demand of cannabis products. Based on a recent Deloitte report, it is estimated that
the sales of recreational cannabis alone can have a potential annual economic impact as high as $23
billion in Canada. Currently, almost all legal cannabis in Canada is produced in controlled environments,
such as greenhouses and warehouse type facilities where artificial lighting is used as the sole light source.
To produce cannabis with high floral yield and quality (e.g., high and consistent cannabinoid and terpene
concentrations), it is essential to understand how different environmental factors, such as lighting, carbon
dioxide (CO2), air temperature, and root zone environment affect the yield and quality of cannabis. This
talk will provide an overview of the current commercial practices and research achievements in the
aforementioned areas, as well as the knowledge gaps and challenges currently facing this industry. The
discussions on these subjects will provide future research directions for the controlled environment plant
production research community.

Youbin Zheng (yzheng@uoguelph.ca)

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