ASHS 2025 Conference

The demand for vigorous strawberry plantlets is increasing to ensure stable production, but challenges in producing disease-free plantlets have emerged due to external environmental changes, including abnormal weather patterns. Additionally, developing a strawberry vertical farm export model is crucial for expanding the global market for high-quality Korean strawberries. To achieve this, optimal nursery technology is required to produce healthy plantlets under stable, disease-free conditions. This study aimed to determine the optimal light quality to enhance the propagation efficiency of strawberry cuttings in a controlled vertical farming system. Strawberry cuttings of the ‘Sulhyang’ cultivar were collected from a greenhouse on December 9, 2024, and transplanted into a vertical farm on December 10. The plants were grown in an environmentally controlled system maintained at 23°C, 70% relative humidity, a 16-hour photoperiod, and a light intensity of 300 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹. The medium contained 165 mL of mixed substrates, and 24-cutting trays (500 × 330 × 100 mm) were used. The experiment consisted of four light treatments: Red Blue White (RBW), Red Blue White UV (RBW UV), Red Blue White Far-red (RBW FR), and Red Blue White UV Far-red (RBW UV FR). Growth parameters were measured at 13, 41, and 79 days after transplanting. At 13 days, plantlets under Far-red (FR) light exhibited a 40% increase in shoot length and a 43% increase in petiole length compared to those under UV treatment. Additionally, at 800 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ light intensity, the photosynthetic rate in UV-treated plantlets was 10% higher than in RBW-treated plantlets. At 41 days, the root surface area of UV-treated plantlets was 21% greater than that of RBW-treated plantlets. After 79 days, UV-treated plantlets showed a 69% increase in root strength and a 36% increase in total chlorophyll content compared to RBW treatment. These results suggest that UV treatment in vertical farms can enhance rhizosphere development and physiological capacity, leading to the production of more vigorous strawberry plantlets. This approach may contribute to the expansion of the strawberry vertical farming industry and improve the quality of plantlets for export.