College of Horticulture, Jinling Institute of Technology, 210 038, Nanjing, P. R. China
1Nanjing Institute of Environmental Science of Ministry of Environmental Protection, 210042, Nanjing, P. R. China
The effects of different light illumination on the ascorbic acid content and growth of faba bean sprouts were investigated. Among the six light qualities studied, ultraviolet light had the highest promoting effect on the ascorbic acid content in faba bean sprouts, increasing it by 78.3 per cent compared with the darkness control. Experiments with different durations of ultraviolet and red light illumination in a day showed that 12 h ultraviolet (500 Lx) and 12 h red (1000 Lx) light diurnal cycles had the highest promoting effects on both the ascorbic acid level and fresh weight of faba bean sprouts. The results indicated that germination of faba beans under 12 h ultraviolet and 12 h red light diurnal cycles was an effective process for increasing the yield and enhancing the nutritional quality of faba bean sprouts.
Ascorbic acid, Faba bean sprout, Germination, Light illumination
