Indoor farming using light-emitting diodes (LED) has received extensive assessment recently, but studies on cultivating local Madura cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) in indoor farming systems are still few. Using the Internet of Things (IoT) in farming systems can monitor and regulate plant cultivation activities. The existing study aimed to determine the effect of red-blue and white lights on the physiological response of local Madura cowpea plants using an IoT-based growbox. The study was in a factorial completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. The first factor was the light spectrum, divided into three categories: L0 (sunlight), L1 (full-spectrum red-blue LED), and L2 (full-spectrum white LED). The second factor comprised five local Madura cowpea genotypes collected from various regions. The results revealed light significantly affected the plant height, leaf quantity, leaf area, root volume, root length, and wet and dry root weight. However, it nonsignificantly influenced the chlorophyll content in plant leaves. Additionally, no notable light treatment x genotype interaction occurred in all characters. This study discloses an effect of different light spectra on the growth and morphological traits of the local Madura cowpea.

Keywords: Cowpea (V. unguiculata L.), indoor farming, IoT, LED, growth and morphological traits, chlorophyll content

Key findings: Based on physiological studies, plants with the light treatment experienced an increase in plant length, plant stomatal index, and root and leaf characters. Light makes plants experience efficient photosynthesis processes, causing it to positively impact the growth and development of local Madura cowpea plants.