Effects of Red and Blue Light on Lettuce Development

Aquaponics can be a viable alternative to traditional soil farming as it does not require a large plot of land to grow high volumes of produce. However, aquaponics systems require a large upfront investment due to the cost of lighting and electricity. To determine the most effective light regime for aquaponics labs, we set up alternating light zones that were dominated by red or by blue spectrum light to determine if light color affected lettuce growth. Our analyses showed that blue light treatment significantly increased dry mass in Green Oakleaf and Green Butter varieties. In addition, center positions on the 2ft by 4ft raft had a significantly higher PPFD that resulted in a significant increase of dry mass production in the blue light treatment of Red Oak, Romaine, and Green Butter lettuce varieties.