Effect of LED light colour and stocking density on some hematological and oxidative stress parameters in Japanese quails

Dereli Fidan, Evrim (author), Koc Yildirim, Ece (author)

The study evaluated the effects of light-emitting diode (LED) light colour and stocking density on the hematological parameters, oxidative metabolism, and organ weights of quails. Several key management factors that influence the welfare of broilers include light color and stocking density. For this reason, this study aimed to reveal the effect of different light colors and stocking densities on the hematological and oxidative stress parameters in Japanese quails. For this purpose, levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH) were measured in quails subjected to different light colors and stocking densities, using commercially available ELISA kits. In this study, 720 1-day-old mixed-sex Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were randomly assigned to one of six treatments, each having four duplicates of 30 birds. The experiment was designed as a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, with three LED light colours (white, blue, and green) and two stocking densities (low = 200 cm2/bird and high = 100 cm2/bird). At 42 days of age, 20 quails from each treatment group were randomly selected for some hematological parameter analysis. According to the results obtained, the heterophile/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio was significantly higher in the white LED light colour treatments. However, the effects of stocking density on the H/L ratio were not significant. The oxidative stress indicator MDA was unaffected by the light colour, however, the high stocking density drastically reduced liver CAT and GSH activities. The heart weight was lower in the quail subjected to blue LED light. The heart and liver organ weights were not affected by stocking density. In conclusion, whereas white LED light increases the H/L ratio and the stress situation, it does not affect the oxidative stress indicators. These findings highlighted the need to identify optimum LED light colours for quails in commercial production settings in order to increase flock welfare. More research is needed to understand the effects and find the best colour of LED light for quails at varied stocking densities.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Japanese quails, LED light, heterophile/lymphocyte ratio, oxidative stress, stocking density
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2026
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 45-51
• Numbering: Vol. 63, Iss. 1
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-185567
• UDC: 628.979: 612.11:577.1:636.59
• ISSN on article: 2385-8761
• DOI: 10.26873/ SVR-2058-2025
• COBISS.SI-ID: 285046019
• Publication date in RUL: 10.08.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Slovenian veterinary research
• Publisher: Veterinarska fakulteta, Veterinarska fakulteta, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2385-8761
• COBISS.SI-ID: 275836160

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Vpliv barve led-svetlobe in gostote živali na nekatere hematološke parametre in oksidativni stres pri japonskih prepelicah

Abstract

Študija je ocenjevala učinke barve svetlobe svetlečih diod (LED) in gostote naselitve na hematološke parametre, oksidativno presnovo in težo organov prepelic. Več ključnih dejavnikov upravljanja, ki vplivajo na dobro počutje brojlerjev, vključuje barvo svetlobe in gostoto naselitve. Zato je bil namen te študije ugotoviti učinek različnih barv svetlobe in gostote naselitve na hematološke parametre in parametre oksidativnega stresa pri japonskih prepelicah. V ta namen so bile pri prepelicah, ki so bile izpostavljene različnim barvam svetlobe in gostoti naselitve, izmerjene ravni malondialdehida (MDA), superoksid dismutaze (SOD), katalaze (CAT) in glutationa (GSH) z uporabo komercialno dostopnih kompletov ELISA. V študiji je bilo 720 enodnevnih japonskih prepelic (Coturnix coturnix japonica) naključno razvrščenih v eno od šestih obravnav, vsaka s štirimi dvojniki po 30 ptic. Poskus je bil zasnovan kot faktorska razporeditev obdelav 3 x 2 s tremi barvami LED-svetlobe (bela, modra in zelena) in dvema gostotama naselitve (nizka = 200 cm2/ptico; visoka = 100 cm2/ptico). Pri starosti 42 dni je bilo naključno izbranih 20 prepelic iz vsake skupine za analizo nekaterih hematoloških parametrov. Glede na dobljene rezultate je bilo razmerje med heterofilci in limfociti (H/L) znatno višje pri prepelicah, izpostavljenih beli LED-svetlobi, vendar vpliv gostote naselitve na razmerje H/L ni bil značilen. Na indikator oksidativnega stresa MDA barva svetlobe ni vplivala, je pa visoka gostota naselitve drastično zmanjšala aktivnosti CAT in GSH v jetrih. Teža srca je bila manjša pri prepelicah, ki so bile izpostavljene modri LED-svetlobi. Gostota naselitve ni vplivala na maso srca in jeter. Zaključimo lahko, da bela LED-svetloba sicer poveča razmerje H/L in stresne razmere, vendar ne vpliva na kazalnike oksidativnega stresa. Te ugotovitve so poudarile potrebo po določitvi optimalnih barv LED-svetlobe za prepelice v komercialnih proizvodnih okoljih, da bi povečali dobrobit jate. Za razumevanje učinkov in iskanje najboljše barve LED-svetlobe za prepelice pri različnih gostotah naselitve je potrebnih več raziskav.

• Keywords: japonske prepelice, LED-svetloba, razmerje med heterofilci in limfociti, oksidativni stres, gostota naselitve