Exploiting UV responses in plants for improved horticultural and nutritional traits

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dc.check.chapterOfThesisPlease redact chapter 4 and 5 as these are to be published soon. I would like an embargo of 6 months to be placed on these please, after which point I am happy for the full thesis to be accesibleen
dc.check.date2027-12-31
dc.contributor.advisorJansen, Marcel A. K.
dc.contributor.authorCunningham, Natalieen
dc.contributor.funderScience Foundation Irelanden
dc.contributor.funderIrish Research Councilen
dc.date.accessioned2026-09-29T15:29:20Z
dc.date.available2026-09-29T15:29:20Z
dc.date.issued2025-12-28
dc.date.submitted2025-12-28
dc.description.abstractUltraviolet (UV) radiation plays a crucial role in shaping plant morphology, metabolism, as well as nutritional value. These UV-induced adjustments can have implications for horticultural and agricultural industries. Furthering understanding of photoreceptor-mediated plant responses to the spectrum of UV radiation can enable growers to optimise greenhouse and field practices, thereby improving crop yield, resilience, and food quality. The overall aim of this thesis was to characterise dose and wavelength specific responses of agriculturally and nutritionally important traits, by investigating the interactions between UV-A and UV-B radiation, plant photoreceptors, morphology and metabolite accumulation. Effects on morphology were characterised by studying the effects of both broadband and narrowband UV radiation on the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana. Findings provide new insights into photoreceptor functioning under UV radiation and contribute to advancing fundamental knowledge in plant physiology. For instance, wavelength dependent photoreceptor co-action modulates petiole elongation in a distinct manner from that of the leaf blade. Effects on metabolism were studied by investigating the accumulation of the nutritionally essential vitamin D₃ in leaves of a Solanum lycopersicum 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase 2 (Sl7-DR2) knockout line. The results demonstrate that UV radiation is a powerful tool for the development of plant-based sources of vitamin D₃, helping to address a deficiency estimated to affect approximately 50% of the global population. Treatment with broadband UV radiation resulted in significantly higher vitamin D₃ levels, of which remained stable in-planta for at least three days post-treatment in the Sl7-DR2 knockout line. Collectively, this work proposes that targeted UV radiation exposure strategies can be used as a sustainable tool, in combination with advances in plant science, to modulate plant growth and enhance nutritional quality. Integrating improved understanding of plant physiological responses with strategic light and UV radiation management offers promising opportunities for sustainable agricultural innovation.en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationCunningham, N. 2025. Exploiting UV responses in plants for improved horticultural and nutritional traits. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.
dc.identifier.endpage190en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/19362
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.relation.projectinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/SFI/Investigator Programme/16/IA/4418/IE/Exploiting narrow-band UV-LEDs for Sustainable, Innovative, Technology-Enabled Cropping (UV-SINTEC)/en
dc.relation.projectIrish Research Council (Grant number GOIPG/2023/4071)en
dc.rights© 2025, Natalie Cunningham.
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.subjectUV radiationen
dc.subjectVitamin Den
dc.subjectIndoor agricutureen
dc.subjectPlant photoreceptersen
dc.subjectUV-Ben
dc.subjectUV-Aen
dc.subjectArabidopsis thalianaen
dc.subjectSolanum lycopersicumen
dc.titleExploiting UV responses in plants for improved horticultural and nutritional traitsen
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD - Doctor of Philosophyen
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