The significant effects of lighting on plants have been extensively investigated, but research has rarely studied the impact of different lighting directions for the strawberry plant. To understand the optimal lighting direction for better growth and development, this study investigated how strawberries respond to variations in the lighting direction to help fine-tune the growth environment for their development. We examined how the lighting direction affects plant morphophysiology by investigating plant growth parameters, leaf anatomy, epidermal cell elongation, stomatal properties, physiological characteristics, and expressions of runner induction-related genes (FaSOC1 and FaTFL1) and gibberellin (GA) biosyntheses-related genes (FaGA20ox2 and FaGA20ox4). In closed-type plant factory units, the rooted cuttings of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) ‘Suhlyang’ were subjected to a 10-h photoperiod with a 350 μmol∙m−2∙s−1 photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) provided by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) from three directions relative to the plants: top, side, and bottom. Our results demonstrated that the side lighting profoundly promoted not only morphophysiology, but also runner formation, by upregulating photosynthesis in strawberries. Side lighting can bring commercial benefits, which include reduced economic costs, easier controllability, and harmlessness to plants. This will help provide new insights for the propagation of the most commonly cultivated strawberries in South Korea.

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A new strawberry cultivar (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) 'Okmae' was developed from a cross between 'Toyonoka' and 'Maehyang'. This cultivar has a good fruit quality and suitable number of flowers per cluster for labor saving in fruit thinning. 'Gyoengnam No. 1' was selected as an elite line with vigorous plant growth, higher soluble solids content and fruit firmness after examining its characteristics and productivity in forcing cultures from 2007 to 2009. Farmer's field trial of 'Gyoengnam No. 1' was conducted in 2010 and it was registered as 'Okmae' thereafter. The general characteristics of 'Okmae' are vigorous growth habit, erect plant type, less number of leaf and elliptic leaf shape. 'Okmae' has long peduncle and 9-10 flowers per flower cluster which need less labor for fruit thinning. Fruits of 'Okmae' are conical having a bright red and glossy skin color. Although 'Okmae' has a smaller average fruit number per plant of 21.9 than that of the control cultivars, it's possible to produce high yield because of greater fruit weight of 26.0 g. 'Okmae' showed a high soluble solids content of 11.6 °Brix, low acidity of 0.37%, and high firmness of 14.5 g･mm -2 . It is sensitive to anthracnose and powery mildews, but high-quality strawberry can be harvested by using effective control measure.

Dormancy and germination of seeds are determined by various factors such as vitality, genotype, hardness, and other environmental cues, such as moisture, air, temperature, and light. Metabolic activity of seeds varies between the quiescent and imbibition state. In the dry state, longevity of a seed is determined by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as lipid peroxyl radical (LOO•) and lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) that are generated nonenzymatically due to lipid peroxidation (LPO). During rehydration phase, enormous amount of ROS, such as superoxide (O 2 − ), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and hydroxyl (•OH) radicals, are generated from the metabolically active compartments such as mitochondria, chloroplasts, and peroxisomes. The progressive conditional, temporal, and spatial distribution of ROS is tightly controlled by the effective antioxidant system that leads to the successful germination of seeds and this phenomenon is defined as 'oxidation window.' Gibberellins (GAs) and abscisic acid (ABA) are the key phytohormones involved in the germination/dormancy. Former promotes germination, whereas the latter induces dormancy. Genes involved in the synthesis and signaling of GA, such as gibberellin 3-β-dioxygenase (GA3ox), GA20ox, and GA-insensitive dwarf (GID), are responsible for the conversion of GA from an inactive to a bioactive form. On the other hand, DELLA, an important protein family acting as the repressors for GA-regulating genes, is activated by ABA. Function of genes, such as SLEEPY, PICKLE, SPINDLY, SECRET AGENT, AMYLASE, GAMYB, and LEAFY, are interrelated with the GA/ABA metabolism. By inducing the ubiquitin-26S proteolysis pathway, GA overcomes the DELLA-mediated effects on germination. The E3 ubiquitin ligase SCF SLY1 (skp1-cullin-F-box-Rbx1 SLY1 ) complex was reported to be involved in the degradation of DELLA proteins. Additionally, cell differentiation and elongation process sustained by the ROS were also linked with the ethylene, brassinosteroids, and auxins. Hence, this chapter provides the heuristic framework on the phenomenon of systemic cross-talk between the ROS and phytohormones during the transition period of quiescent seeds into the metabolically active organisms.