Quantitative evaluation of supplemental LED lighting for Axonopus compressus recovery using ANOVA and growth analysis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Urban turfgrass management, particularly for species like Axonopus compressus (Cow Grass), faces significant challenges due to light limitation in high-density built environments such as semi-enclosed stadia. This study investigates the integration of mechatronic principles and supplemental LED lighting to accelerate the recovery of chlorotic turfgrass, comparing natural sunlight exposure against a supplemental red-blue LED grow light system. A red-blue LED grow light system (5000 ± 1000 lumens) was applied nocturnally for three hours to one of two experimental patches over 15 days, with five marked sampling areas per patch; leaf colour, leaf length, leaf width, root/stem length, stem width, and leaf count were recorded on Days 1, 4, 9, and 15 and compared using ANOVA and the Mann–Whitney U test. The LED-treated patch showed a higher colour-recovery rate (0.352 versus 0.274 units day−1; 28.7% improvement) and a lower vertical-growth rate (1.438 versus 1.915 mm day−1; 24.9% lower) than the control; ANOVA identified a statistically significant between-group difference only for leaf length (p = 0.0395), with the remaining parameters not significant at α = 0.05. Canopy colour and vertical elongation emerge as candidate feedback variables for future closed-loop, energy-aware lighting control, although the present findings should be regarded as preliminary given the small sample size and limited replication.
Source: Mekatronika
Language: English
Subfield: Agronomy and Crop Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225463185