Abstract
An alternating light-dark system is described under which etiolated bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) leaves form selectively chlorophyll a.
This system consists of cycles of 2 minutes of white light alternating with 98-minute dark periods.
Etiolated tissue exposed to a series of such light-dark cycles accumulates chlorophyll a predominantly, with no lag phase in its biosynthesis. A very high ratio of chlorophyll a:chlorophyll b is thus established. The ratio increases with the number of light exposures up to about 45 such exposures and then it declines. Transfer of the etiolated tissue to continuous illumination after a number of such light exposures results in a dramatic drop of the chlorophyll a:chlorophyll b ratio to values normally found in green plants.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Akoyunoglou G. A., Siegelman H. W. Protochlorophyllide resynthesis in dark-grown bean leaves. Plant Physiol. 1968 Jan;43(1):66–68. doi: 10.1104/pp.43.1.66. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- KOSKI V. M. Chlorophyll formation in seedlings of Zea mays L. Arch Biochem. 1950 Dec;29(2):339–343. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]