Effect of fertigation frequency on soil nitrogen distribution and tomato yield under alternate partial root-zone drip irrigation

Alternate partial root-zone drip fertigation (ADF) is a combination of alternating irrigation and drip fertigation,with the potential to save water and increase nitrogen (N) fertilizer efficiency.A 2-year greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different fertigation frequencies on the distribution of soil moisture and nutrients and tomato yield under ADF.The treatments included three ADF frequencies with intervals of 3 days (F3),6 days (F6) and 12 days (F12),and conventional drip fertigation as a control (CK),which was fertilized once every 6 days.For the ADF treatments,two drip tapes were placed 10 cm away on each side of the tomato row,and alternate drip irrigation was realized using a manual valve on the distribution tapes.For the CK treatment,a drip tape was located close to the roots of the tomato plants.The total N application rate of all treatments was 180 kg ha^(-1).The total irrigation amounts applied to the CK treatment were450.6 and 446.1 mm in 2019 and 2020,respectively;and the irrigation amounts applied to the ADF treatments were 60%of those of the CK treatment.The F3 treatment resulted in water and N being distributed mainly in the 0–40-cm soil layer with less water and N being distributed in the 40–60-cm soil layer.The F6 treatment led to 21.0 and 29.0%higher 2-year average concentration of mineral N in the 0–20 and 20–40-cm soil layer,respectively and a 23.0%lower N concentration in the 40–60-cm soil layer than in the CK treatment.The 2-year average tomato yields of the F3,F6,F12,and CK treatments were 107.5,102.6,87.2,and 98.7 t ha^(-1),respectively.The tomato yield of F3 was significantly higher (23.3%) than that in the F12 treatment,whereas there was no significant difference between the F3 and F6 treatment.The F6 treatment resulted in yield similar to the CK treatment,indicating that ADF could maintain tomato yield with a 40%saving in water use.Based on the distribution of water and N,and tomato yield,a fertigation frequency of 6 days under ADF should be considered as a water-saving strategy for greenhouse tomato production.

Effects of Alternative Partial Root-zone Irrigation and Nitrogen Fertilizer on Plukenetia volubilis Seedlings

This study was aimed to investigate the effects of alternative partial rootzone irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer on the potted seedlings of Plukenetia volubilis.A total of 7 treatments were designed with three factors, i.e., irrigation amount, irrigation mode and nitrogen fertilizer. The growth, photosynthesis and water use efficiency were analyzed. The results showed that compared with those under full irrigation, the biomass and water consumption under alternative partial root-zone irrigation were reduced by 5% and 75%, respectively, and the water use efficiency was increased by 60%. Under severe drought conditions, the root cap ratio in the nitrogen fertilizer treatment group was increased by 30%; the leaf area index, photosynthetic rate and biomass under alternative partial root-zone irrigation were reduced by 38%, 9% and 18%, respectively. It indicates that under severe drought conditions, alternative partial root-zone irrigation is not suitable to be matched with application of nitrogen fertilizer. In short, under moderate drought conditions, alternative partial root-zone irrigation could reduce transpiration and improve water use efficiency, and it is an effective water-saving irrigation technology for the plantation of P.volubilis plants.

Effect of Root-Zone Temperature on Growth and Quality of Hydroponically Grown Red Leaf Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Red Wave)

Soil temperature influences crop growth and quality under field and greenhouse conditions;however, precise investigation using controlled cultivation systems is largely lacking. We investigated effects of root-zone temperatures on growth and components of hydroponically grown red leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Red Wave) under a controlled cultivation system at 20&degC. Compared with ambient root-zone temperature exposure, a 7-day low temperature exposure reduced leaf area, stem size, fresh weight, and water content of lettuce. However, root-zone heating treatments produced no significant changes in growth parameters compared with ambient conditions. Leaves under low root-zone temperature contained higher anthocyanin, phenols, sugar, and nitrate concentrations than leaves under other temperatures. Root oxygen consumption declined with low temperature root exposure, but not with root heating. Leaves of plants under low rootzone temperature showed hydrogen peroxide production, accompanied by lipid peroxidation. Therefore, low temperature root treatment is suggested to induce oxidative stress responses in leaves, activating antioxidative secondary metabolic pathways.

Effect of Partial Root-Zone Irrigating Deuterium Oxide on the Properties of Water Transportation and Distribution in Young Apple Trees

Partial root-zone irrigation （PRI） has been proved to be an optimal water-saving irrigation technology, however, few studies were done on water transportation and distribution under PRI. The present study was performed to investigate the water transportation and distribution among the wet and dry root-zones and the shoot using deuterium water （D2O） in 1/4 root-zone PRI experiment. It also aimed to determine and analyze the D2O relative abundance within different types of roots and shoots. The results indicated that water could be transported from roots in wet root-zone to roots in dry root-zone and shoots within 2 h after irrigation. Water transportation in roots of wet-zone was carried out by absorbing root, 1-2 mm root, 2-5 mm root, and〉5 mm root progressively, while through a reverse process in three dry root-zones. In shoots, water was transported to trunk, central trunk, annual branches, shoot and leaf progressively. Thus in the young apple trees subjected to PRI, water was distributed ifrst in the roots, including the roots in the wet and dry root-zones, to satisfy the water need of roots itself, and then transported to the shoot within hours of irrigation.

Yield Response to Deficit Irrigation and Partial Root-Zone Drying in Processing Tomato （Lycopersicon esculentum Mill,）

Due to the global expansion of irrigated areas and the limited availability of irrigation water, it is necessary to optimize water use in order to maximize crop yields under water deficit conditions. To evaluate the yield response of two processing tomato hybrids （Ercole and Genius） grown under different irrigation treatments, a field trial was conducted during the 2008 growing season in Southern Italy. Three irrigation treatments were used： the restitution of 70% of maximum evapotranspiration （ETc） both under ＂Deficit Irrigation＂ （70DI） and ＂Partial Root-zone Drying＂ （70PRD） strategies; full irrigated （FI： 100% ETc）. The two water deficit irrigation treatments （DI and PRD） showed stomatal conductance values lower than FI treatment and saved a substantial amount of water maintaining reasonable marketable yield. Moreover, PRD strategy showed slightly higher ＂Water Use Efficiency＂ （WUE） values than DI. Finally, ＂yield response factor＂ （Ky） showed always values less than unity, indicating the possibility to adopt, within certain limited condition, both DI and PRD in field-grown processing tomato cultivated in Southern Italy. In conclusion, in our experimental conditions, deficit irrigation practices seem to be acceptable relatively to processing tomato yield aspects and Ky could be promoted as a useful indicator for irrigation in water deficit conditions.

Root Morphology, Plant Growth, Nitrate Accumulation and Nitrogen Metabolism of Temperate Lettuce Grown in the Tropics with Elevated Root-Zone CO2 at Different Root-Zone Temperatures

This paper investigated the effects of root-zone (RZ) CO2 concentration ([CO2]) on root morphology and growth, nitrate (NO3-) uptake and assimilation of lettuce plants at different root-zone temperatures (RZT). Elevated RZ [CO2] stimulated root development, root and shoot growth compared to ambient RZ [CO2]. The greatest increase in root growth was observed in plants grown under elevated RZ [CO2] of 50,000 ppm. However, RZ [CO2] of 10,000 ppm was sufficient to achieve the maximal leaf area and shoot productivity. Lettuce plants exhibited faster shoot and root growth at 20°C-RZT than at ambient (A)-RZT. However, under elevated RZ [CO2], the magnitude of increased growth was greater at A-RZT than at 20°C-RZT. Compared to RZ [CO2] of 360 ppm, elevated RZ [CO2] of 10,000 ppm increased NO3- accumulation and nitrate reductase activity (NRA) in both leaves and roots. NO3- concentrations of leaf and root were higher at 20°C-RZT than at A-RZT in all plants. NRA was higher in root than in leaf especially under A-RZT. The total reduced nitrogen (TRN) concentration was significantly higher in plants grown under elevated RZ [CO2] of 10,000 ppm than under ambient RZ [CO2] of 360 ppm with greater concentration in 20°C-RZT plants than in A-RZT plants. These results imply that elevated RZ [CO2] significantly affected root morphology, root and shoot growth and N metabolism of temperate lettuce with greater impacts at A-RZT than at 20°C-RZT. These findings have practical significance to vegetable production by growing the vegetable crops at cool-RZT with elevated RZ [CO2] to enhance its productivity.

Elevated Root-Zone Temperature Modulates Growth and Quality of Hydroponically Grown Carrots

Air and soil temperatures strongly influence the growth and quality of crops. However, in root vegetables, such as carrot, few experiments aimed at regulating growth and quality by manipulating root-zone temperature have been reported. We investigated the effect of root-zone temperatures (20&degC, 25&degC, 29&degC, and 33&degC) on carrot growth and components using a hydroponic system. High root-zone temperatures for 14 days reduced shoot and rootgrowth and water content. In contrast, total phenolic compounds and soluble-solid content increased in tap roots under high-temperature treatment. Root oxygen consumption was upregulated after 7 days under high-temperature treatment. These results suggest that high root-zone temperatures induce drought-like stress responses that modulate carrot biomass and components. High root-zone temperature treatments administered to hydroponically grown crops may be a valuable tool for improving and increasing the quality and value of crops.

Effects of Root-Zone Temperature on Photosynthesis, Productivity and Nutritional Quality of Aeroponically Grown Salad Rocket (Eruca sativa) Vegetable

Although tropical high ambient temperature and humidity severely reduced the productivity of temperate plants, temperate vegetable crops such as lettuce have been successfully grown in Singapore by only cooling its root-zone. In this paper, a cool Meditteranean vegetable, Eruca sativa, was studied to understand how different RZTs can impact its shoot productivity, photosynthesis and nutritional quality. All plants were cultivated using aeroponic systems in a tropical greenhouse under hot ambient conditions where roots were subjected to four different root-zone temperatures (RZTs) of 20°C-RZT, 25°C-RZT, 30°C-RZT and fluctuating ambient temperatures ranged from 25°C to 38°C [25°C/38°C (ambient)]-RZT. Parameters studied include shoot fresh weight (FW), photosynthetic gas exchange, midday chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence Fv/Fm ratio, Chl fluorescence photochemical quenching (qP), non-photochemical quenching (qN) and electron transport rate (ETR), total phenolic compounds and mineral content such as potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and iron (Fe). Among the 4 different RZT treatments, E. sativa plants grown under ambient-RZT (25/38°C-RZT) had the lowest shoot and root FW while those plants grown under 20°C-RZT had highest productivity of shoot and root. However, there were no significant differences in shoot and root FW in plants grown at 25°C- and 30°C-RZT. Compared to plants grown under 25°C/38°C (ambient-RZT), light-saturated photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate (Asat) and stomatal conductance (gssat) were similarly higher in 20°C-, 25°C- and 30°C-RZT. All plants had midday Chl fluorescence Fv/Fm ratio lower than <0.8 ranged from 0.785 to 0.606 with the highest and lowest ratios recorded in 20°C-RZT and ambient-RZT plants, respectively. These results indicate that cooling the RZ of E. sativa plants protected their PS II from photoinactivation during midday in the greenhouse. There were no significant differences observed in photochemical quenching (qP), non-photochemical quenching (qN) and electron transport rate among plants grown under 20°C-, 25°C- and 30°C-RZT. However, plants grown under ambient-RZT had lower qP, qN and ETR compared to all other plants. E. sativa at 20°C-RZT with the best developed roots had the highest dietary mineral (K, Mg, Ca and Fe) contents but lower total phenolics content. In contrast, ambient-RZT, plants with poorly developed roots had the lowest mineral content but highest total phenolic content. The results of this study suggest that cooling of roots is a feasible method for the cultivation of E. sativa in the tropic, which enhances the content of dietary minerals in shoots.

Role of alternate and fixed partial root-zone drying on water use efficiency and growth of maize(Zea mays L.)in gypsiferous soils

Alternate partial root-zone drying(APRD)is a water-saving method but can regulate crop physiological responses.A pot experiment has been conducted to study the efficiency of partial and fixed root-zone drying on the growth and production of maize(Zea mays L)in addition to the water use efficiency in soils with different gypsum content.The experimental treatments include three irrigation treatments,i.e.Conventional Irrigation(CI),Alternate Partial Root-zone Drying(APRD)and Fixed Partial Root-zone Drying(FPRD),and three soils with different gypsum content"(60.0[G1],153.7[G2],and 314.2[G3]g kg^(-1))".The vegetative growth,root dry mass and physiological indices(leaf relative water content,carotenoid concentration,proline)have been studied during three stages of maize plant growth(jointing,tasselling,and maturing).The Results showed that compared to CI,APRD and FPRD increased water use efficiency by 38.93 and 14.94%based on dry seed yield.In addition,compared to CI,APRD increased maize seed yield by 4.62-20.71%,while FPRD decreased yield by 19.24-5.28%for the gypsiferous soils G2 and G3,respectively.APRD has a slight effect on leaf water potential,leaf relative water content,carotenoid and proline activities from jointing to maturing stages at the three gypsiferous soils.Results suggest that APRD could make maize plants use water even more productively with better adaptation to water shortages in the gypsiferous soils.

Alternate Furrow Irrigation: A Practical Way to Improve Grape Quality and Water Use Efficiency in Arid Northwest China

Field experiments were conducted for two years to investigate the benefits of alternate furrow irrigation on fruit yield, quality and water use efficiency of grape （Vitis vinifera L. cv. Rizamat） in the arid region of Northwest China. Two irrigation treatments were included, i.e., conventional furrow irrigation （CFI, two root-zones were simultaneously irrigated during the consecutive irrigation） and alternate partial root-zone furrow irrigation （AFI, two root-zones were alternatively irrigated during the consecutive irrigation）. Results indicate that AFI maintained similar photosynthetic rate （Pn） but with a reduced transpiration rate when compared to CFI. As a consequence, AFI improved water use efficiency based on evapotranspiration （WUEEr, fruit yield over water consumed） and irrigation （WUE~, fruit yield over water irrigated） by 30.0 and 34.5%, respectively in 2005, and by 12.7 and 17.7%, respectively in 2006. AFI also increased the edible percentage of berry by 2.91-4.79% significantly in both years. Vitamin C （Vc） content content of berry was increased by 25.6-37.5%, and tritrated acidity （TA） was reduced by 9.5-18.1% in AFI. This resulted in an increased total soluble solid content （TSS） to TA ratio （TSS/TA） by 11.5-16.7% when compared to CFI in both years. Our results indicate that alternate furrow irrigation is a practical way to improve grape fruit quality and water use efficiency for irrigated crops in arid areas.

Influences of alternate partial root-zone irrigation and urea rate on water-and nitrogen-use efficiencies in tomato

Traditional water and fertilizer inputs are often much higher than the actual demands of tomato,which causes a reduction in water-and fertilizer-use efficiencies.To investigate the advantage of alternate partial root-zone irrigation(AI)on water-and nitrogen(N)-use efficiencies of tomato modified by water and N management,taking conventional irrigation(CI)as the control,the effects of AI on root morphology and activity,fruit yield and water and N use efficiency were studied using pot experiments.There were four combinations of irrigation levels and growing stages of tomato for AI,i.e.AI_(1)(high water(W_(H))from blooming to harvest stage(BHS)),AI_(2)(W_(H)from blooming to fruit setting stage(BFS)and low water(W_(L))at the harvest stage(HS)),AI_(3)(W_(L)at BFS and W_(H)at HS)and AI_(4)(W_(L)at BHS)at three urea rates,i.e.low urea rate(NL),middle urea rate(N_(M))and high urea rate(N_(H))in the form of urea.Irrigation quotas for W_(H)and W_(L)in AI at BFS or HS were 80%and 60%of that in CI,respectively.Compared to CI,AI decreased water consumption by 16.0%-33.1%and increased water use efficiency of yield(WUE_(y))and dry mass(WUE_(d))by 6.7%-11.9%and 10.2%-15.9%,respectively.AI_(1)did not decline yield,total N uptake(TNU)and N use efficiency(NUE)significantly.Compared to NL,N_(M)enhanced tomato yield,TNU,WUE_(y)and WUE_(d)by 28.5%,35.3%,22.6%and 16.3%,respectively.Compared to CINL,AI_(1)N_(M)reduced water consumption by 12.5%,but increased tomato yield,TNU,WUE_(y)and WUE_(d)by 35.5%,58.4%,54.4%and 53.7%,respectively.Therefore,AI_(1)can improve water use efficiency and total N uptake of tomato simultaneously at medium urea rate.

Stem flow of seed-maize under alternate furrow irrigation and double-row ridge planting in an arid region of Northwest China

Maize is widely planted throughout the world and has the highest yield of all the cereal crops. The arid region of North- west China has become the largest base for seed-maize production, but water shortage is the bottleneck for its long-term sustainability. Investigating the transpiration of seed-maize plants will offer valuable information for suitable planting and irrigation strategies in this arid area. In this study, stem flow was measured using a heat balance method under alternate furrow irrigation and double-row ridge planting. Meteorological factors, soil water content （e）, soil temperature （Ts） and leaf area （LA） were also monitored during 2012 and 2013. The diurnal stem flow and seasonal dynamics of maize plants in the zones of south side female parent （SFP）, north side female parent （NFP） and male parent （MP） were investigated. The order of stem flow rate was： SFP〉MP〉NFP. The relationships between stem flow and influential factors during three growth stages at different time scales were analyzed. On an hourly scale, solar radiation （Rs） was the main driving factor of stem flow. The influence of air temperature （Ta） during the maturity stage was significantly higher than in other periods. On a daily scale, Rs was the main driving factor of stem flow during the heading stage. During the filling growth stage, the main driving factor of NFP and MP stem flow was RH and Ts, respectively. However, during the maturity stage, the environ- mental factors had no significant influence on seed-maize stem flow. For different seed-maize plants, the main influential factors were different in each of the three growing seasons. Therefore, we identified them to accurately model the FP and MP stem flow and applied precision irrigation under alternate partial root-zone furrow irrigation to analyze major factors affecting stem flow in different scales.

Alternate partial root-zone irrigation with high irrigation frequency improves root growth and reduces unproductive water loss by apple trees in arid north-west China

Alternate partial root-zone irrigation(APRI)can improve water use efficiency in arid areas. However,the effectiveness and outcomes of different frequencies of APRI on water uptake capacity and physiological water use have not been reported. A two-year field experiment was conducted with two irrigation amounts(400 and500 mm) and three irrigation methods(conventional irrigation, APRI with high and low frequencies). Root length density, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic rate,transpiration rate, leaf water use efficiency, midday stem and leaf water potentials were measured. The results show that in comparison with conventional irrigation, APRI with high frequency significantly increased root length density and decreased water potentials and stomatal conductance.No differences in the above indicators between the two APRI frequencies were detected. A significantly positive relationship between stomatal conductance and root length density was found under APRI. Overall, alternate partial root-zone irrigation with high frequency has a great potential to promote root growth, expand water uptake capacity and reduce unproductive water loss in the arid apple production area.

Evaluation of tomato fruit quality response to water and nitrogen management under alternate partial root-zone irrigation

A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different water and nitrogen supply amounts on the comprehensive assessment of tomato fruit quality and root growth parameters under alternate partial root-zone irrigation.Three upper irrigation limitations(i.e.70%(W1),80%(W2)and 90%(W3)of field capacity,respectively)and three N-fertilizer levels(i.e.0.18(N1),0.30(N2)and 0.42(N3)g/kg soil,respectively)were arranged with a randomized complete block design,and alternate partial root-zone irrigation method was applied.Results showed that fruit yields under deficit irrigation(W1 and W2)were decreased by 6.9%and 2.0%respectively compared with W3 under N1 level.Yields of tomato under W1N1 and W1N2 combinations were also reduced by 10.3%and 7.2%,respectively compared with W1N3 combination.Root dry weight,root length,root surface area and root volume were all increased in W1N2 treatment.According to two-way ANOVA,the root parameters except root dry weight,were extremely sensitive to water,nitrogen and the cross effect of the two factors.TSS(total soluble solids),SS(soluble sugars)and OA(organic acid)in the fruits increased with the decrease in irrigation water,OA and NC reduced with decreasing amount of nitrogen.Moreover,within an appropriate range,as more irrigation water and nitrogen were applied,the higher VC(vitamin C)and lycopene contents were identified in the fruits.Eventually,the combinational evaluation method(i.e.entropy method and gray relational analysis)showed that W2N2 ranked highest in comprehensive fruit quality.Therefore,considering the tradeoff between fruit comprehensive quality and yields,upper irrigation limitation of 80%θf and N-fertilizer of 0.30 g/kg soil with alternate partial root-zone irrigation was the optimal cultivation strategy for the greenhouse tomato in autumn-winter season in northwest China.

Understanding root-zone soil moisture in agricultural regions of Central Mexico using the ensemble Kalman filter,satellite-derived information,and the THEXMEX-18 dataset

An Ensemble Kalman Filter(EnKF)-based assimilation algorithm was implemented to estimate root-zone soil moisture(RZSM)using a Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer(SVAT)model during a complete growing season of corn in Central Mexico.Synthetic and field soil moisture(SM)observations and NASA SMAP SM retrievals were used to understand the effect of vertically spatial updates and uncertainties in meteorological forcings on RZSM estimates.Assimilation of RZSM every 3 days using SM observations at 4 depths lowered the averaged standard deviation(ASD)and the root mean square error(RMSE)by 60%and 50%,respectively,compared to the open-loop ASD.The assimilation of synthetic SM at the top 0-5 cm obtained RZSM closer to observations compared to THEXMEX-18 SM measurements and SMAP SM retrievals.Differences between EnKF estimates and SM observations and SMAP SM retrievals are mainly due to misrepresentation of vegetation conditions.The results improved SM estimates up to 10-cm depth using SMAP SM retrievals;however,additional studies are needed to improve SM at deeper layers.The implemented methodology can estimate SM at the top 10 cm of the soil every 3 days to mitigate the impact of the climate change on agricultural production over rainfed areas,particularly in developing countries.

Biochar and alternate partial root-zone irrigation greatly enhance the effectiveness of mulberry in remediating lead-contaminated soils

Aims Soil lead contamination has become increasingly serious and phytoremediation can provide an effective way to reclaim the contaminated soils.This study aims to examine the growth,lead resistance and lead accumulation of mulberry(Morus alba L.)seedlings at four levels of soil lead contamination with or without biochar addition under normal or alternative partial root-zone irrigation(APRI).Methods We conducted a three-factor greenhouse experiment with biochar(with vs.without biochar addition),irrigation method(APRI vs.normal irrigation)and four levels of soil lead(0,50,200 and 800 mg·kg^(-1)).The performance of the seedlings under different treatments was evaluated by measuring growth traits,osmotic substances,antioxidant enzymes and lead accumulation and translocation.Important Findings The results reveal that mulberry had a strong ability to acclimate to soil lead contamination,and that biochar and APRI synergistically increased the biomass and surface area of absorption root across all levels of soil lead.The seedlings were able to resist the severe soil lead contamination(800 mg·kg^(-1) Pb)by adjusting glutathione metabolism,and enhancing the osmotic and oxidative regulating capacity via increasing proline content and the peroxidase activity.Lead ions in the seedlings were primarily concentrated in roots and exhibited a dose–effect associated with the lead concentration in the soil.Pb,biochar and ARPI interactively affected Pb concentrations in leaves and roots,translocation factor and bioconcentration.Our results suggest that planting mulberry trees in combination with biochar addition and APRI can be used to effectively remediate lead-contaminated soils.

Microclimate control to increase productivity and nutritional quality of leafy vegetables in a cost-effective manner

Food security is one of the key global challenges in this century.In Singapore,our research team has been using novel aeroponic technology to produce fresh vegetables since 1997.Aeroponic systems allow for year-round production of not only tropical,but also sub-tropical and temperate fresh vegetables,by simply cooling the roots suspended in aeroponic systems while the aerial parts grow under tropical ambient environments.It has also been used to investigate the impacts of root-zone CO_(2)on vegetables by enriching root-zone CO_(2)while their aerial portions were subjected to constant atmospheric CO_(2).To compensate for the lack of available land,Singapore also needs to develop a farming system that can increase productivity per unit land area by many-fold.Over the past 10 years,my research team has established a commercially viable LED integrated vertical aeroponic farming system to grow different leafy vegetables under different LED spectra,intensities,and durations in the tropical greenhouse.The results demonstrate that it is possible to increase shoot production and rate of shoot production of leafy vegetables by increasing light intensity and extending the photoperiod under effective LED lighting.Furthermore,temperate vegetable crops such as lettuce were able to acclimate to high light intensity under supplementary LED lights to natural sunlight in the greenhouse.Supplementary LED lightings promote both leaf initiation and expansion with increased photosynthetic pigments,higher Cyt b6f and Rubisco protein contents on a per area basis and thus improve photosynthetic capacity and enhance productivity.Plants sense and respond to changes in their immediate environments(microclimate),manipulating the root zone temperature(RZT)and water supply will impact not only their growth and development but also their nutritional quality.Our on-going research aims to investigate if the nutritional quality of leafy vegetables could be improved under suboptimal RZT and mild water deficit through deficit irrigation.If substantial energy and water savings in urban farming can be achieved without substantial yield penalty but with higher nutritional quality,the amount of water and energy saved can bring substantial benefits to society.