Influence of Light Intensity on Morphological and Growth Responses of Ornamental Foliage Plants in Vertical Garden Systems

Abstract

The present study evaluated the influence of different light intensities on the growth and morphological performance of three ornamental foliage plants—Philodendron erubescens ‘Gold’, Syngonium podophyllum, and Pandanus veitchii variegata—cultivated in vertical garden systems. The experiment was conducted at the Floriculture Research Station, ARI, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, from November 2022 to March 2024, following a Factorial Completely Randomized Design with twelve treatment combinations and three replications. Four light regimes (250–500, 500–1000, 1000–1500, and 1500–2000 lux) were maintained using PWM-controlled LED illumination. Observations on leaf length, leaf area, leaf area index, leaf thickness, leaf dry weight, and crop growth rate were recorded at 90 and 180 days after planting. Results revealed that increasing light intensity significantly enhanced all morphological parameters across species. Among the plants, Pandanus veitchii variegata exhibited maximum leaf length, thickness, and dry weight under 1500–2000 lux, while Philodendron erubescens attained superior leaf area and growth rate. The study concludes that light intensity between 1000 and 1500 lux optimizes growth performance, indicating its suitability for indoor and semi-shaded vertical gardening applications.