Contrasting effects of monochromatic LED lighting on growth, pigments and photosynthesis in the commercially important cyanobacterium Arthrospira maxima

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different colored light emitting diodes (LEDs) on the growth, pigment yield, and photosynthetic performance of Arthrospira maxima, a commercially exploited species of cyanobacteria. The highest growth and chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration were obtained under red LED and white fluorescent light, while the lowest growth and Chl a concentration were observed under blue LED. However, blue LED produced the highest levels of phycobiliproteins (3.20 mg.g(-1) phycocyanin [PC]; 0.19 mg.g(-1) allophycocyanin [APC]; 0.97 mg.g(-1) for phycoerythrin [PE], effective quantum yield (Phi(PSII)) and maximum relative electron transport rate (rETR(max)) in A. maxima. The results of this study suggest that red and blue LEDs increase the biomass yield and pigment content of cyanobacteria, respectively, and the combined use of red and blue light may significantly improve algal biomass and biopigment yield.