Effects of red light and blue light on root morphology and accumulation of bioactive compounds in Salvia miltiorrhiza / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: Investigate the effects of different intensity of white light, red light and blue light on root morphology and bioactive compounds accumulations of Salvia miltiorrhiza. Methods: The seedlings of S. miltiorrhiza were treated with 4 intensities of white light, red light and blue light, respectively, the morphologic index of root such as the lateral root number, lateral root diameter as well as the content of seven bioactive compounds were determined. Results: The influences of different light quality on the above-ground morphological indexes of S. miltiorrhiza were distinct. Red light of 100 μmol/(m2∙s) and 200 μmol/(m2∙s) promoted the occurrence of lateral root, and blue light of 200 μmol/(m2∙s) and 300 μmol/(m2∙s) significantly increased the root biomass. The accumulation of different bioactive compounds was distinctly affected by light quality and light intensity, the accumulation of tanshinones was more sensitive to the light treatments than that of phenolic acids. Conclusion: Light regulates the lateral root development and accumulations of bioactive compounds simultaneously, the application of artificial light is a promising method to improve the yield and quality of S. miltiorrhiza.