Abstract
Understanding environmental responses of pulse crop species and their wild relatives will play an important role in developing genetic strategies for crop improvement in response to changes in climate. This study examined how cultivated lentil and wild Lens germplasm responded to different light environments, specifically differences in red/far-red ratio (R/FR) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Three genotypes of each the seven Lens species were grown in environmentally controlled growth chambers equipped to provide light treatments consisting of different R/FR ratios and PAR values. Our results showed that overall, days to flower of Lens genotypes were mainly influenced by the R/FR induced light quality change but not by the PAR related light intensity change. The cultivated lentil (L. culinaris) showed consistent, accelerated flowering in response to the low R/FR light environment together with three wild lentil genotypes (L. orientalis IG 72611, L. tomentosus IG 72830, and L. ervoides IG 72815) while most wild lentil genotypes had reduced responses and flowering time was not significantly affected. The longest shoot length, longest internode length, and largest leaflet area were observed under the low R/FR low PAR environment for both cultivated and wild lentils. The distinctly different responses between flowering time and elongation under low R/FR conditions among wild Lens genotypes suggests discrete pathways controlling flowering and elongation, which are both components of shade avoidance responses. The yield and above-ground biomass of Lens genotypes were the highest under high R/FR high PAR conditions, intermediate under low R/FR low PAR conditions, and lowest under high R/FR low PAR light conditions. Three L. lamottei genotypes (IG 110809, IG 110810, and IG 110813) and one L. ervoides genotype (IG 72646) were less sensitive in their time to flower responses while maintaining similar yield, biomass, and harvest index across all three light environments; these are indications of better adaptability toward changes in light environment.
Highlights
Light is essential for plant growth and development
High red/farred ratio (R/FR) delayed the development from VE to R1, while low photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) delayed the development from R1 to R5, if there was an effect
One extreme case was L. ervoides IG 72815, for which a mean 35day difference from the VE to R5 stage was found between the low R/FR low PAR environment and the high R/FR low PAR environment
Summary
Light is essential for plant growth and development. It is a source of energy for photosynthesis and provides information for regulation of growth and development (Smith, 1982). Information based on light quality induces a collective photomorphogenetic response (Quail, 2002), which is controlled by several photoreceptors including blue-light absorbing phototropin and cryptochrome and the red and far-red light absorbing phytochrome family (Rockwell et al, 2006; Möglich et al, 2010). Among these photoreceptors, phytochromes play a key role in photomorphogenesis and control about 10% of the plant transcriptome (Quail, 2002). Absorption of light by either Pr or Pfr results in phototransformation between these two forms, which drives the on/off switching of the successive signaling pathway (Han et al, 2007)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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.
