Influence of photoperiod on productivity and spectral indices of leaf blades of garden cress samples grown under light culture conditions

Identification of optimal growing conditions and promising genotypes for specific environmental parameters using modern non-invasive methods is an urgent task. In this work, spectral indices of leaf blades of 17 accessions of garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) from the VIR collection were studied for the first time under strictly controlled conditions of an agrobiopolygon under different photoperiods (12, 14, 16 h), as well as the productivity of these accessions. As a result of the work, photoperiods of 12 and 16 h were determined as the most favorable for growing garden cress accessions under light culture conditions. Accessions of garden cress, k-112 (Local, Azerbaijan) and k-165 (Gartenkresse, Belgium), were selected as the most productive and promising for cultivation under light culture conditions. Based on the data obtained, it was established that optical indicators can be an effective non-invasive criterion for identifying the most optimal duration of photoperiod for realizing the production potential of garden cress samples, and also serve as predictors for determining the most productive genotypes of interest for subsequent breeding work.