Studying the effectiveness of using different lighting sources in growing Charoit potato plants in aerohydroponic systems

The seed potato breeding process involves combining biotechnological methods of plant sanitation based on in vitro apical meristem culture technology and sterile plant cultivation followed by the growth of mini-tubers under protected conditions. Among the most promising methods are hydroponic and aerohydroponic techniques for cultivating plants, where additional lighting is used to enhance productivity and quality of potatoes. This study was conducted at the Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture and Peet, which is part of the Siberian Federal Research Centrе of Agro-ВioTechnologies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SFSCA RAS). Object of study: healthy maternal micro-clones of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) variety Charoit. In vitro plants were planted onto «Fagro» series aerohydroponic systems equipped with lamps emitting various spectrums of light. The influence of different light sources on morphometric development parameters such as plant height, number of leaves, root system length, average aboveground mass, and root system mass was investigated. Additionally, we studied how different types of illumination affect key characteristics including: Average number of mini-tubers per plant, Average weight of one mini-tuber, Maximum and minimum weights of mini-tubers, Fractional composition of mini-tubers. It has been determined that when cultivating Charoit variety potatoes using an aerohydroponic method, it is recommended to use lighting with a light intensity of 225 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹. These results will allow optimization of the seed-breeding process for potatoes.