LED Grow Lights can affect beneficial and pest arthropods either directly or by altering plant traits.
LED Grow Lights can affect beneficial and pest arthropods either directly or by altering plant traits. Figuring out which wavelengths discourage pest arthropods and enhance the effects of beneficial arthropods will provide opportunities to enhance pest management and promote crop resistance production.
Plant defenses are regulated by light modulation of endogenous phytohormone signaling pathways. An important component of plant defense is the induced defense activated by arthropod feeding and coordinated by salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) signaling pathways. Infection by biotrophic pathogens (e.g. powdery mildew) or bast-feeding arthropods (e.g. aphids and whiteflies) can locally induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to SA biosynthesis and resulting in local allergic reactions and systemic acquired resistance. Activation of the JA signaling pathway by chewing herbivores (e.g., caterpillars and beetles) leads to the formation of defense-related secondary metabolites. the SA and JA pathways antagonize each other. Some arthropods that feed on the bast use this antagonism to induce SA responses in plants to inhibit JA responses. Studies have shown that specific narrow-bandwidth light signals are involved in defense responses.
Similar to plants, most arthropods are phototrophs with a range of photoreceptors that are sensitive to wavelength selection and affect various aspects of arthropod behavior, such as host discovery and navigation. Thus, altering spectral composition to manipulate plant development may affect arthropod behavior, distribution, and population development in greenhouses. In addition, supplemental light-induced changes in plant morphology and physiology may affect plant-arthropod interactions through direct and indirect changes in plant defense traits. Distinguishing the direct effects of supplemental light on arthropod behavior from plant-mediated effects is critical for effective pest control in greenhouses.
Overall, LED grow lights are increasingly being used in greenhouse growing to improve crop yield and quality. However, since light quality can also regulate plant secondary metabolism and defenses, it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms when making trade-offs between plant growth and defense. We are a LED plant growth light supplier, please feel free to contact us if you need them.