Green Light Effects on Plant Growth and Development

Abstract

Evolution tends not to ignore a conditional signal. There are many instances where a seed, seedling or plant finds itself in an environment disproportionately rich in green light (500–550nm). Is this condition meaningful to the plant, and are there mechanisms to sense these wavebands to inform physiological decisions? Cryptochromes and phytochromes readily absorb green light to initiate photomorphogenic responses. Still, the classical and contemporary literature present sporadic evidence that green light irradiation has specific influence that is not conveniently attributed to known light sensors ([Frechilla et al 2000], [Kim et al 2004a], [Klein 1992]). Recent reports corroborate early evidence that green light has specific, frequently antagonistic functions in directing light responses ([Eisinger et al 2003], [Folta 2004], [Talbott et al 2003]).