Does Green Really Mean Go? Increasing the Fraction of Green Photons Promotes Growth of Tomato but Not Lettuce or Cucumber
The photon flux in the green wavelength region is relatively enriched in shade and the photon flux in the blue region is selectively filtered. In sole source lighting environments, increasing the fraction of blue typically decreases stem elongation and leaf expansion, and smaller leaves reduce photo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/4/637 |
| _version_ | 1797539828856782848 |
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| author | Paul Kusuma Boston Swan Bruce Bugbee |
| author_facet | Paul Kusuma Boston Swan Bruce Bugbee |
| author_sort | Paul Kusuma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The photon flux in the green wavelength region is relatively enriched in shade and the photon flux in the blue region is selectively filtered. In sole source lighting environments, increasing the fraction of blue typically decreases stem elongation and leaf expansion, and smaller leaves reduce photon capture and yield. Photons in the green region reverse these blue reductions through the photoreceptor cryptochrome in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana,</i> but studies in other species have not consistently shown the benefits of photons in the green region on leaf expansion and growth. Spectral effects can interact with total photon flux. Here, we report the effect of the fraction of photons in the blue (10 to 30%) and green (0 to 50%) regions at photosynthetic photon flux densities of 200 and 500 µmol m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup> in lettuce, cucumber and tomato. As expected, increasing the fraction of photons in the blue region consistently decreased leaf area and dry mass. By contrast, large changes in the fraction of photons in the green region had minimal effects on leaf area and dry mass in lettuce and cucumber. Photons in the green region were more potent at a lower fraction of photons in the blue region. Photons in the green region increased stem and petiole length in cucumber and tomato, which is a classic shade avoidance response. These results suggest that high-light crop species might respond to the fraction of photons in the green region with either shade tolerance (leaf expansion) or shade avoidance (stem elongation). |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:51:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8fef71f3873d4194be4d339b2a7b6db3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:51:25Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-8fef71f3873d4194be4d339b2a7b6db32023-11-21T13:04:44ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472021-03-0110463710.3390/plants10040637Does Green Really Mean Go? Increasing the Fraction of Green Photons Promotes Growth of Tomato but Not Lettuce or CucumberPaul Kusuma0Boston Swan1Bruce Bugbee2Crop Physiology Laboratory, Department of Plants, Soils and Climate, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84321, USACrop Physiology Laboratory, Department of Plants, Soils and Climate, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84321, USACrop Physiology Laboratory, Department of Plants, Soils and Climate, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84321, USAThe photon flux in the green wavelength region is relatively enriched in shade and the photon flux in the blue region is selectively filtered. In sole source lighting environments, increasing the fraction of blue typically decreases stem elongation and leaf expansion, and smaller leaves reduce photon capture and yield. Photons in the green region reverse these blue reductions through the photoreceptor cryptochrome in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana,</i> but studies in other species have not consistently shown the benefits of photons in the green region on leaf expansion and growth. Spectral effects can interact with total photon flux. Here, we report the effect of the fraction of photons in the blue (10 to 30%) and green (0 to 50%) regions at photosynthetic photon flux densities of 200 and 500 µmol m<sup>−2</sup> s<sup>−1</sup> in lettuce, cucumber and tomato. As expected, increasing the fraction of photons in the blue region consistently decreased leaf area and dry mass. By contrast, large changes in the fraction of photons in the green region had minimal effects on leaf area and dry mass in lettuce and cucumber. Photons in the green region were more potent at a lower fraction of photons in the blue region. Photons in the green region increased stem and petiole length in cucumber and tomato, which is a classic shade avoidance response. These results suggest that high-light crop species might respond to the fraction of photons in the green region with either shade tolerance (leaf expansion) or shade avoidance (stem elongation).https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/4/637cryptochromephototropinsLEDshorticulture |
| spellingShingle | Paul Kusuma Boston Swan Bruce Bugbee Does Green Really Mean Go? Increasing the Fraction of Green Photons Promotes Growth of Tomato but Not Lettuce or Cucumber Plants cryptochrome phototropins LEDs horticulture |
| title | Does Green Really Mean Go? Increasing the Fraction of Green Photons Promotes Growth of Tomato but Not Lettuce or Cucumber |
| title_full | Does Green Really Mean Go? Increasing the Fraction of Green Photons Promotes Growth of Tomato but Not Lettuce or Cucumber |
| title_fullStr | Does Green Really Mean Go? Increasing the Fraction of Green Photons Promotes Growth of Tomato but Not Lettuce or Cucumber |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does Green Really Mean Go? Increasing the Fraction of Green Photons Promotes Growth of Tomato but Not Lettuce or Cucumber |
| title_short | Does Green Really Mean Go? Increasing the Fraction of Green Photons Promotes Growth of Tomato but Not Lettuce or Cucumber |
| title_sort | does green really mean go increasing the fraction of green photons promotes growth of tomato but not lettuce or cucumber |
| topic | cryptochrome phototropins LEDs horticulture |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/10/4/637 |
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