Abstract
Young watermelon (Citrullus lanatus cv. Sugar Baby) plants were treated with end-of-day (EOD) Red (R), Far-red (FR), and Far-red followed by Red (FR/R) light for 15 minutes. Control plants had no EOD light treatment. FR light treatments influenced plant growth and development (i.e., petiole elongation, internode elongation, and reduced petiole angles). Plants were sampled every 4 hours for a 24 hour period from each light treatment. Tissues (petioles, leaves, stems, and cotyledons) were analyzed from each treatment and sampling time combination for soluble carbohydrate and starch concentrations. Results suggested that carbohydrate concentration, distribution, and diurnal fluctuation were affected by EOD light quality treatments. Petioles of FR treated plants contained the greatest concentration of glucose, fructose and total soluble carbohydrates, and the least concentration of stachyose and starch. Stems of FR treated plants had the least concentration of total sugars and starch. Petioles of R treated plants contained the greatest concentration of stachyose and the least concentration of glucose. The changes in concentration of the storage carbohydrate (starch) and breakdown products (fructose and glucose) of the translocated sugar (sucrose) may be correlated to active growth of petioles and stems in response to light quality.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
