Floriculture is an international, multi-billion dollar industry that includes the production of bedding and garden plants, foliage plants, potted flowering plants, cut flowers, cut cultivated greens, and floriculture materials.
Various horticultural and medicinal plants contribute to human health. Plants have a variety of photoreceptors, so nutrients are mainly affected by cryptochrome that is stimulated by the UV-A/blue region of the spectrum and activates specific defense reactions (Fig.7). When a defense reaction is activated, plants consume energy in such a way as to produce secondary metabolites, such as vitamin C, anthocyanins and phenolic compounds that are valuable for human consumption.