LED Lighting in Vertical Farming Systems Enhances Bioactive Compounds and Productivity of Vegetables Crops

One of the greatest challenges of modern agriculture is to produce more with less, to produce healthier, safer food under sustainable systems. This includes a focus on increasing the efficiency of finite resources such as water and nutrients and increasing the sustainable productivity of crops under innovative systems with LED lights on soilless cultures. The aim of this research was to perform a bibliometric analysis on the benefits of vertical farming production systems on the nutraceutical quality parameters of horticultural crops. Additionally, the main parameters used to evaluate the quality and productivity of crops were identified. The methodology and results were analysed over a period of 5 years using the different quality parameters of lighting-LED as the main light source. The main plant species studied were lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, and spinach. The results showed that use of 16 h light photoperiods increased nutritional compounds such as antioxidants, phenols, and total sugar concentration, but in general a moderately positive effect on plant growth and development was observed. The most used light intensities were between the range of 150 and 300 µmol m−2 s−1, and the specific spectrum-LED peaks between 450–495 nm (blue) and 620–700 nm (red). Therefore, the use of LED lights on vertical farming systems as an alternative to increase the nutritional parameters of horticultural plants is a viable option as, in a short period of time and without geographical differentiation, it contributes to the production of nutraceutical compounds. It also contributes to a reduction of natural resource use such as water, as one hundred percent of the research was carried out on crops that utilized hydroponic systems, which have the capacity to reuse water and nutrients.