The Photoperiod: Handling and Causing Stress in Plants

Abstract

The photoperiod, which is the length of the light period in the diurnal cycle of 24 h, is an important environmental signal. Plants have evolved sensitive mechanisms to measure the length of the photoperiod. Photoperiod sensing enables plants to synchronize developmental processes, such as the onset of flowering, with a specific time of the year, and enables them to alleviate the impact of environmental stresses occurring at the same time every year. During the last years, the importance of the photoperiod for plant responses to abiotic and biotic stresses has received increasing attention. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the signaling pathways involved in the photoperiod-dependent regulation of responses to abiotic (freezing, drought, osmotic stress) and biotic stresses. A central role of GIGANTEA (GI), which is a key player in the regulation of photoperiod-dependent flowering, in stress responses is highlighted. Special attention is paid to the role of the photoperiod in regulating the redox state of plants. Furthermore, an update on photoperiod stress, which is caused by sudden alterations in the photoperiod, is given. Finally, we will review and discuss the possible use of photoperiod-induced stress as a sustainable resource to enhance plant resistance to biotic stress in horticulture.

Photoperiod Stress in Arabidopsis thaliana Induces a Transcriptional Response Resembling That of Pathogen Infection

“…Recently, it has been described that changes of the photoperiod, in particular a prolongation of the light period, provokes a stress response in A. thaliana . This identified form of abiotic stress is named photoperiod stress—originally circadian stress—( Nitschke et al, 2016 , 2017 ; Roeber et al, 2022 ) and was first detected in cytokinin (CK)-deficient Arabidopsis plants as these plants are particularly photoperiod stress-sensitive. The photoperiod stress response starts during the night following a prolonged light period with a strong induction of stress marker genes such as ZINC FINGER OF ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA12 ( ZAT12 ) and BON ASSOCIATED PROTEIN1 ( BAP1 ), an increase in oxidative stress and the jasmonic acid (JA) concentration.…”

Effect of Prolonged Photoperiod on Light-Dependent Photosynthetic Reactions in Cannabis

“…The length of the light period is termed as the photoperiod. As sessile organisms, plants have developed sensitive mechanisms to measure and to adapt to the length of the photoperiod [ 8 , 9 ]. The duration of the photoperiod, in combination with temperature, light quality, and intensity, regulates plant growth and development through various internal and external signals [ 10 ].…”

Light prevents pathogen-induced aqueous microenvironments via potentiation of salicylic acid signaling

“…PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTORs (PIFs) are rapidly degraded during red-light perception by PHYs and are also involved in light-dependant modulation of immune signaling (Gangappa & Kumar, 2018). Furthermore, functional circadian cycles are required to respond to many abiotic and biotic stresses (Roeber et al, 2022), including responses to infection (Karapetyan & Dong, 2018). Indeed, plant susceptibility to pathogens varies, depending on the time of day of infection (Griebel & Zeier, 2008; Zhang et al, 2013).…”