EFFECTIVENESS OF WATER CELLOPHANE IN SITAW BEAN GROWTH

THROUGH SPECTRUM OF LIGHT

Chapter I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In our research we’ve known that plants are the biotic things on the planet earth

that belongs to the kingdom Plantae. These include trees, flowers, grasses, ferns, herbs

and green algae which produce oxygen which is vital for us to breathe and have cool

environment. Furthermore, the study of plants is known as botany. Plants play a crucial

role in the food chain because they are the producers and our sources of food.

Photosynthesis is the process in which plants obtain most of their energy from the

sunlight in order to grow and make food. On the other hand, plants can be grown

under artificial lights, but these lights are just mimicking the effects of sunlight.

A 2012 study published in Scientia Horticulturae investigated the influences of

three different qualities of light on lettuce. They used a red and blue LED; a red, blue,

and white LED; and a fluorescent lamp. It was found that the dry weights, crispness,

sweetness, and shape of plants treated with the red-blue-white LED and fluorescent

lamp were higher than in plants treated with only red-blue LEDs. Once again, a fuller

spectrum of light throughout the plants’ life cycle yielded better results than blue or red

light alone.
 Plant development is strongly influenced by the light quality, which refers to the

color or wavelength reaching a plant’s surface (Johkan, Shoji, Goto, Hashida,

Yoshuhara, 2010). Red and blue lights have the greatest impact on plant growth because

they are the major sources for photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in plants. Past studies

examined the action spectra have action maxima in the Blue and red ranges (Cosgrove,

1981; Kasajima et al., 2008). Combined red and blue lights were proven to be an

effective lighting source for producing many plant species, including lettuce, in

controlled environments (Yorio, Goins, Kaige, 2001; Hanyo and Shoji, 2002; Lian,

Murphy, Pack, 2002; Nhut, Takamura, Watanabe, Okamoto, Tanaka, 2003; Doughter

and Bugbee, 2004; Kim, Goins, Wheeler, Sager 2004b; Lee, Tewari, Hahn, Pack, 2007;

Shin, Mrthy, Heo, Hahn, Paek, 2008).

Over the years, the population of human is exponentially increasing. Hence, it

also means that the demand for agricultural products is increasing because food is vital

for humans and other living organisms to survive. As a result, high demand will result

to low supply if the production is slow, low supply results to higher price, and due to

high price of needs it will affect its affordability to the majority. Thus, hunger is rising

world-wide.

As stated by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), out

of 7.6 billion people in the world, 815 million people or 10.7% were suffering from

chronic undernourishment n 2016. Most of the hungry people live in lower-middle-

income countries. There are 11 million people undernourished in developed countries.

according to the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. Involuntary hunger is

experienced when there is lack of food to eat. In its December 2017 poll, 15.9% or an

estimated 3.6 million did not have enough food to eat at least once in very three

months. It recorded that 2.8 million families experienced moderate hunger, while

841,000 experienced severe hunger.

Thus, these problems inspired the researchers to find and develop a way in

growing plants with the help of water cellophane. Aside from the fact water cellophane

is reasonably priced it is also attainable to the majority. Hence, with this new way we

can help many farmers in their job.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this experimental research is to test the effectiveness of

cellophane in the growth of String beans using the spectrum of light and to seek answers

to the following research:

1. How effective is the cellophane in the growth of String Beans in using the

spectrum of light?

2. What color of cellophane is best for the growth of String Beans?

3. Is there a significant difference in the effect of cellophane in String Beans in

terms of :

3.1 Height

3.2 Color of leaves

The purpose of this scientific literature in our study is to provide a clearer

direction of our study and support the possible views, outcomes and findings that we

will be gathering in our study.

As presented by the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) (2015),

plants show vital role in the ecosystem for they provide us food, shelter, fuel, medicine.

In the process of food production, oxygen is released which we obtain from the air

enable to breathe. No animal alone can supply the need of food and oxygen. Shelter, in

the form of wood for houses; and clothing, in the form of cotton fibers, are obvious uses

of plant materials. But we must not forget fuel, furniture, paper products, certain

medicines like aspirin, and many other products like perfume and chewing gum. To

these tangible aspects of the plant world we must also add the importance of beauty

and relaxation derived from plants. Since animals are surrounded by and dependent

upon plants, the factors that influence plant growth, structure, and distribution, affect

the animal world as well.

Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) (2015) states that the vital

needs of a plant are very much like our own – light, water, air, nutrients and proper

temperature. The relative importance of each of these needs differs widely among

plants. Light reaching the surface of a plant is either absorbed, reflected, or transmitted.

Energy, in the form of sunlight is one of the driving forces in the chemical reaction
known as photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants

manufacture food, mainly sugars, from carbon dioxide and water in the presence of

chlorophyll (a green pigment), utilizing light energy and releasing oxygen and water.

Together the quality, quantity, and duration of light influences plant growth. Plants

grown in direct sunlight are typically compact, where as those in shade are taller and

elongated. Seeds may start to grow (germinate) without light, but the plant growing

from it must have light if it is to continue to grow.

Providing a sufficient quantity and quality of food for the escalating population,

changing climatic conditions, land use competition for food, feed, fuel and fiber

production as well as the increasing demand for valuable natural compounds is

currently a great challenge that we face today. To increase the production capacity,

many techniques and tools developed for photosynthesis research have not been widely

used in other fields because they were developed to examine phenomena unique to

photosynthesis. Controlled growing systems using artificial lighting have been taken

into consideration. In outdoor cultures, sunlight provides energy (through

photosynthesis) for photosynthetic organisms (Darko, Heydarizadeh, Schoefs

Sabzalian, 2013).

Photosynthesis. The development of an understanding of biological phenomena

usually takes place when a complex event is defined as a series of separate components

or steps. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert solar energy from the

sun into useful chemical energy for food. Plants are photoautotrophs, thus they are able
to synthesize food from inorganic compounds with the use of light energy, instead of

eating other organisms or relying on material derived from them. The process of

photosynthesis uses energy came from absorbed photons found in light and involves a

reducing agent, in this case water. Oxygen is released as a product. All the organisms

that undergo photosynthesis uses and converts Carbon Dioxide (CO2) to organic

material consumable to animals by reducing this gas to carbohydrates. This is done

through a rather complex set of reactions. The pigments that absorb the light are

primarily chlorophylls and carotenoids. Chlorophylls absorb blue and red light while

carotenoids absorb blue-green light, but green and yellow light are not effectively

absorbed by photosynthetic pigments in plants; therefore, light of these colors is either

reflected by leaves or passes through the leaves. This explains why plants are green.

Chlorophyll is also unique in that it is capable of converting the active energy of light

into a latent form that can be stored and used when needed. In plants that undergo

photosynthesis, water is absorbed by the roots and carried to the leaves by the xylem.

CO2 is obtained from the air that enters the leaves through the stomata and diffuses to

the cells containing chlorophyll (Gust, 2006).

Photosynthesis and Food. Plants obtain the energy to synthesize foodstuffs via

photosynthesis. Although plants draw necessary materials from the soil, water, and

carbon dioxide from the air, the energy needs are filled by sunlight. Plants convert light

energy to chemical energy, which is the form used by all living organisms. Thus, one of

the major energy-harvesting processes in plants involves using the energy of sunlight to
convert carbon dioxide into sugars, starches, and other high-energy carbohydrates.

Furthermore, if there is no photosynthesis, there is no food (Gust, 2006).

Photosynthesis and Energy. One of the carbohydrates resulting from

photosynthesis is cellulose, which makes up the bulk of dry wood and other plant

material Burning wood can convert the cellulose back to carbon dioxide and release the

stored energy as heat (Gust, 2006). As stated by the US Department of Energy (DOE),

2014, biomass can be found all over the world and is an endless supply since it can keep

growing. Things such as corn stalks that are left over from harvesting, and forest brush

that may cause a fire hazard, can be converted into fuels. These biomass fuels burn

cleaner than gas or oil does, so it is also safer for the environment.

Water Cellophane. Cellophane is a polymeric cellulose film made from the

cellulose from wood, cotton, hemp, or other sources. The raw material of choice is

called dissolving pulp, which is white like cotton and contains 92–98% cellulose. The

cellulose is dissolved in alkali in a process known as mercerization. It is aged several

days. The mercerized pulp is treated with carbon disulfide to make an orange solution

called viscose, or cellulose xanthate. The viscose solution is then extruded through a slit

into a bath of dilute sulfuric acid and sodium sulfate to reconvert the viscose into

cellulose. The film is then passed through several more baths, one to remove sulfur, one

to bleach the film, and one to add glycerin to prevent the film from becoming brittle

(McKeen, 2012)
 Light Energy. The potential of the light to do work is called light energy. Light is

a way the nature transfers energy through space. Light travels very rapidly, it is more

generally referred to as electromagnetic radiation and the light that is visible to our eyes

are just portion of the totality of light called electromagnetic spectrum and refer to them

by name, such as gamma-rays, X-rays, ultraviolet, optical, infrared, and radio. They

were all just lights, a continuous range of energy (Blair, 2004).

Light and the growth of plants. The selection of the light source is also very

important for the quality and the quantity of the vegetable produced, since the light

features affect the plant development: the correct growth of plants is not only

influenced by the quantity of light reaching the leaf, usually calculated as the

photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) in µmol/sm2, but also by the spectral

composition of the light source (Pinho, 2004). The photosynthetic process, which allows

the plant to transform radiant energy into chemical energy for producing its nutriment,

is operated by different types of photoreceptors, sensitive to light at specific

wavelengths.

From the photomorphogenesis point of view, plants development is also affected

by the quality of light through the activation of other three types of photoreceptors, the

phytochromes, the cryptochromes and the phototropins, which regulate the

physiological and morphological responses (Pinho, 2008).

Sharma and Gill (2017) conducted a study on which a potted plant of tecoma

stans species has been lighted by a reflected sunlight through a mirror and another set
up of the same object were prepared but is devoid to reflected sunlight hence it only

received normal sunlight. According to them reflected sunlight enhances the growth of

a plant since the plant who experienced the reflected sunlight turned out to have good

health of the leaves and is better in appearance.

Spectrum of lights and the growth plants. Plants use different portions of the

luminous spectrum for performing their vital functions and for this reason the spectral

composition of light is important for supporting the correct plant growth. As stated in

the study of conducted by Pinho, Särkkä, Tetri, Tahvonen, Halonen (2007), it was

demonstrated the occurrence of physiological and morphological changes in lettuce

plants grown under different multi-spectral-component lights. In the study of

Hogewoning, Trouwborst, Maljaars, oorter, Van Ieperen, Harbinson (2010), the leaves

of cucumber grown under red light showed dysfunctions in the photosynthetic

parameters and they concluded that even a small amount of blue light is required for a

correct leaf response and functioning.

Sunlight is the optimal light source for correct plant growth, as its spectral

emission entirely covers the absorption bands of all the photoreceptors (Navvab, 2009);

for indoor plant growth, artificial lights have to be accurately selected, balancing the

spectral composition with other technical features. The luminous efficiency is very

important since plant growth requests several hours of light every day and this impacts

on the energy consumption, as well as on production costs.

lighting spectral compositions confirmed that each band of light emission has specific

effects on plant physiology and morphology (Olle, 2013). In the study conducted by

Furtado Macedo, Leal-Costa, Schwartz Tavares, Salgueiro Lage, Apparecida Esquibel

(2011) blue light influenced leaf morphogenesis, promoting differentiation of mesophyll

cells and the formation of intercellular spaces, also having positive effects on leaf

thickness and area. Light in the blue wavelengths promotes chloroplast development

and increases net photosynthesis, the number of stomata and the thickness of leaves in

cherry tomato plants (Liu, 2011); blue light also induces a phototropic curvature of oat

coleoptiles in the direction of light (Yano, 2012). Even if the net CO2 assimilation rate is

reduced, rose growth under blue light alone presents a three-day slower, but more

complete, vegetative and floral development (Abidi, 2013). Red light, through the

phytochrome stimulation, affects leaf biomass quantity, increasing the dry weight/fresh

weight ratio (Furtado Macedo, 2011); supplemental far red light increases fresh and dry

weight, stem length, and leaf area in lettuce, but it reduces chlorophyll, carotenoids, and

the concentration of anthocyanins (Li, 2009). As the green color of foliage indicates,

green light is mainly reflected by plants and only a small percentage is absorbed by

chlorophylls and carotenoids. Specific studies demonstrated that even green light

produces effects in plants: in fact, it can contribute to plant development and growth in

combination with red and blue light (Singh, 2015 and Johkan, 2012). The results of the

study of Urbonavicˇi¯ut˙e, Pinho, Samuolien˙e, Duchovskis, Vitta, Stonkus, Tamulaitis,

Žukauskas, and Halonen (2007), showed that green light alone also supports Lactuca
sativa growth, producing leaf and petiole elongation and higher root and shoot growth

at high irradiance values. In the same study the net photosynthesis with

monochromatic green light (510 nm) at a high PPF level resulted in being the highest

among all the light treatments, including the control condition in which white

fluorescent light was used. In the study Furtado Macedo, et. al. (2011), the green light

treatment produced the highest leaf weight ratio, specific leaf mass, and leaf density.

Some of the previous studies concluded that a controlled and tailored light spectral

composition can be useful for inducing specific plant responses, and also for enhancing

nutritional value in vegetables (Yano, et. al. (2012); Li, (2009)). Urbonavicˇi¯ut˙e, et. al.

(2007) studied the effect of red plus three short-wavelength lights (near-UV, blue, and

cyan) on lettuce and concluded that the optimal growth was obtained with red and blue

treatment which caused a higher carbohydrate content; in fact, about the 90% of light

absorption by plant leaves is in the blue and red bands (Fan, 2013).

Several studies were carried out with the aim of determining which blue/red

light composition is the most suitable for stimulating the correct response in plants

(Pocock, 2016). As claimed by Wojciechowska, Dlugosz-Grochowska, Kolton, ˙Zupnik

(2015), the optimal growth of lettuce was obtained with the spectral composition

containing 90% red light and 10% blue light: with respect to different percentages and

HPS control conditions, this spectral composition caused a higher weight and dry

matter, soluble sugar content, and phenol production. In another work basil plants

showed the best performance when the blue component in the lighting is higher than
the red one (ratio 0.7); in this condition the leaf yield was at a maximum and the fresh

weight decreased proportionally with the decreasing of the blue percentage in the

spectrum (Piovene, 2015). Zhu, Zhou, Liu (2013) compared the growth of pea shoots

under three types of LEDs with different combinations of red and blue light

components and a fluorescent lamp; two configurations of PPFD distribution were also

tested. It was found that relatively low PPFD distribution (62–87 µmol/sm2) is better

for the growth of pea shoots; furthermore, all three LED lamps produced higher values

of fresh weight and chlorophyll content than fluorescent lamps, but there are no

significant differences in the results among the three LEDs. Results of the study of

Hogewoning, Trouwborst, Maljaars, Poorter, van Ieperen, Harbinson (2010) revealed

the insurgence of physiological disorders, such as low CO2 fixation, low photosynthetic

rate, and low dry weight accumulation, in plants exposed to red light alone. These

dysfunctions did not occur when plants were exposed to blue light alone and they were

eliminated adding even a small percentage (7%) of blue light to red light. The

comparison of lettuce growth under LED lighting with different spectral compositions

demonstrated that under white LEDs both plant biomass and nutritional values were

higher than under red-blue LED conditions (Lin, 2013). This study indicates that LEDs

having a complete spectrum are more suitable for vegetable cultivation than two

monochromatic LEDs, as it produces better responses on growth parameters.

As claimed by Runkle (2016), many plants grown under red light alone, such

as plants grown indoors using red light emitting diodes or LED have stretched and
elongated appearance, the leaves are thin and large and plants become tall. In contrary,

in some cases the plants grown under red lights alone do not achieve the desirable

growth characteristics. Red light is better when a relatively small amount of blue light is

added. As stated by Snowden (2015), through the research conducted, red lights alone

are not enough to promote normal plant growth and development in most species and

that some blue light supplementation was needed.

Conforming to Sowbiya Muneer, Eun Jeong Kim, Jeong Suk Park, and Jeong

Hyun Lee (2014), the response of light emitting diodes LEDs at different light intensities

(70 and 80 for green LEDs, 88 and 238 for red LEDs and 80 and 238 μmol m−2 s−1 for

blue LEDs) at three wavelengths in lettuce leaves. Furthermore, lettuce leaves were

exposed to (522 nm), red (639 nm) and blue (470 nm) LEDs of different light intensities.

The thylakoid multi-protein complex proteins and photosynthetic metabolism were

then investigated. And also, biomass and photosynthetic parameters increased with an

increasing light intensity under blue LED illumination and decreased when illuminated

with red and green LEDs with decreased light intensity.

Son and Oh (2013) proved that it has a big result on the biomass and leaf area

where it gives a higher impact for both red and green lettuce light in zero BL treatment.

As for Johkan et al. (2010) he studied about the lettuce seedling quality with different

light such as blue, red, and blue + red light-emitting diode (LED) lights where it

resulted into compact morphology and promoted growth after transplanting compared

to the red light alone.

Light Colors on Plant Growth is that the goal of their study is to learn how the color of

light affects photosynthesis, to identify the effects of different colored lights on plant

growth, and to identify the potential use of different light colors as a growth regulator.

They used the mustard sprouts as the experimental subjects. The current measures of

the mustard sprouts and the different colors of cellophanes were the independent

variables. The 20 dependent measures are grouped according to what color of

cellophane was used to cover the box where it is planted. The study showed that the

mustard sprouts that were exposed in orange and green lights have slow development

while the sprouts under red and blue light showed rapid development. Therefore, their

study strongly suggests that orange and green light should not be used for growing

plants under light. However, in order to obtain the optimum growth or development of

the plant, red and blue lights are more efficient to use. Although the suggested colors of

light represent a higher probability of rapid plant growth, it still depends on the type

and system of the plant if it will react on the red and blue colored light.

The light spectrum also stimulates the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds. Blue

light induced the accumulation of flavonoids and anthocyanins, which are one class of

flavonoid compounds, play a role in antioxidant activity. The most studies with blue

light only or blue mixed with red light indicated that blue light-containing irradiation

produced higher plant biomass that yield and crop quality could be improved by

controlling light quality. However, the application of the blue light spectrum when
raising the seedlings has rarely been studied (Matsuda, Ohashi-Kaneko, Fujiwara,

Kurata, 2008).

Fuller spectrum of light enables plants to have better growth and appearance but

some researchers studied how would one color from the spectrum of light affect the

plant growth. According to Muneer, Kim, Park, Lee (2014) plant uses light as an energy

source for photosynthesis and as an environmental signal, and respond to its intensity,

wavelength and direction. Plant development and the way it or the parts of it functions

are strongly affected by the light spectrum. Such that, blue light contributes in an array

of plant processes that includes phototropism, photomorphogenesis, stomatal opening,

and leaf photosynthetic functioning. Red lights on the other hand produce a narrow

spectrum of light that is close to the maximum absorbed for both chlorophyll and

phytochromes, while green lights have reduced photosynthesis.

The related studies and literature found explains how light affects and supports

plant processes most specially photosynthesis and to growth of the plants as well. Most

of the researches that have studied the effects of different colors of light to plants have

used light emitting diodes or LED lights. And thus, using fuller spectrum of light is

more effective than using individual colors of light. The spectrum of light stimulates the

biosynthesis of phenolic compounds. (Matsuda, et. al., 2008)

1. Is there no significant relationship between water cellophane and string bean’s

growth through spectrum of light?

2. Is there no significant difference between water cellophane and string bean’s

growth through spectrum of light?