Abstract
Light affects virtually all aspects of plant life. Plant growth and development are adjusted to local, diurnal and seasonal changes in light quality and intensity. Among other things, light can phase circadian rhythms, affect the formation, expansion and content of leaves, change the rate and direction of stem elongation, and modulate flowering time. Different plant species respond to similar light conditions in diverse ways. Modifying light response in ornamental plants could prove extremely useful in increasing variation and yield by changing both plant form and the timing of certain processes such as flowering. During the past decade, molecular genetic approaches in model plant systems have introduced us to an impressive array of potential molecular tools for breeding. The aim of this chapter is to present examples of recent progress made in revealing molecular components involved in light sensing in plants. The reader will be introduced to a few light-controlled processes in plants, provided with examples of molecular components involved in these processes—including the circadian clock, and presented with current theories on the molecular mechanism of photoperiodic control of flowering. Much of our current knowledge is based on many years of excellent research performed by hundreds of researchers studying several plant species. For lack of space and knowledge, this chapter will focus for the most part on recent achievements in the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana.
Published Version
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