The response of growth and circadian rhythm to cycle length and photoperiod

The experiments were carried out to investigate whether other plant species, in addition to tomato plants, show injury symptoms when grown for 2 to 4 weeks in an aperiodic environment and to obtain information about physiological mechanisms involved in the response to the absence of environmental periodicity. The growth of seedlings of pea, peanut, and soybean, exposed to different daylengths at constant temperature, increased with Increasing length of the light period up to 16 to 20 hours, defending on the species. Further lengthening of the photoperiod did not result in significant increases in dry matter accumulated. The absence of environmental periodicity did not cause injury in these three species. Tomato plants responded in an entirety different manner. The optimal photoperiod for dry matter production by tomato plants was 18 hours and photoperiods longer than 20 hours caused interveinal chlorosis. Thus, tomato plants have an absolute requirement for a daily periodicity, white the other species do not in short‐term experiments. Under conditions of constant temperature development of chlorosis by tomato plants may be prevented by a daily dark period of 4 hours or longer or by a daily period of drastically lowered tight intensity. Complete darkness is not essential, however. This suggests that development of chlorosis is not mediated through a photoperiodic response system. Involvement of a circadian oscillation may also be excluded. Aperiodic environmental conditions appear to affect the physiology of the tomato plant in a direct manner, possibly by influencing chlorophyll synthesis or degradation.

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The response of growth and circadian rhythm to cycle length and photoperiod

Cited by 2 publications

References 8 publications

Temporal Regulation in Acetabularia

Temporal Regulation in Acetabularia

Diurnal Periodicity and Plaut Growth

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