Figure 3.

Analysis of Leaf Initiation and Variegation during Seedling Development.

(A) Kinetics of leaf initiation was assessed by counting, on a daily basis, the number of leaf initials that were ≥1 mm in size for both wild-type (closed symbols) and im (open symbols) plants. Counting began exactly 7 d after seeding at 5 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹ at 25°C to prevent the onset of white sectors in the cotyledons. Both genotypes were grown at 25°C at an irradiance of either 50, 150, or 450 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹. All plants were grown under an 8/16-h day/night cycle.

(B) and (C) The kinetics of variegation in im seedlings. Variegation was estimated as the percentage of leaf area that was white in im plants using the nondestructive method described in Methods. Plants were grown at either 25°C (B) or at 12°C (C) at an irradiance of either 50, 150, or 450 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹. All plants were grown with an 8/16-h day/night cycle. Data represent the mean ± se from 10 plants per time point.