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The Effect of Different Portions of the Sunlight Spectrum on Ethylene Evolution in Peach ( Prunus persica ) Apices
Author(s) -
EREZ AM
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1977.tb01885.x
Subject(s) - ethylene , sunlight , botany , horticulture , prunus , canopy , biology , far red , red light , chemistry , optics , physics , biochemistry , catalysis
Exposure of peach plants to the blue plus far‐red (B/FR) portions of the sunlight spectrum caused a rapid rise in ethylene evolution from their apices. Two days were enough to produce a significant rise in ethylene evolution relative to blue without far‐red or to neutral shade. Maximal level of ethylene evolution in the B/FR light, more than eight times that of the blue or the neutral shade, was reached after four days of exposure. A higher endogenous ethylene content was also found under B/FR relative to blue or to neutral shade conditions. The level of ethylene evolution from peach apices was correlated with their arrested growth as observed a few days later. Exposure of peach plants to dense leaf shade, under the canopy of a big avocado tree, enhanced ethylene evolution from their apices, relative to unfiltered sunlight and to neutral shade. It was suggested that the rise in ethylene evolution in both B/FR and leaf shade conditions resulted from a high far‐red: red ratio. Ethylene was further suggested to act as a mediator of photomorphogenetic regulation of vegetative development in far‐red‐rich tree shade.