• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.55-66
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• 2016

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of artificial light sources with different light qualities on the growth and flowering characteristics of a herbaceous long-day plant, Petunia ${\times}$ hybrida Hort. Seedlings of petunia cultivar 'Madness Rose' were potted, acclimated for one week, and grown in a phytotron equipped with tube- and bulb-type fluorescent lamps (FL tube and bulb), tube-type white light-emitting diodes (LED tube), halogen lamps (HL), metal halide lamps (MH), and high pressure sodium lamps (HPS) for 10 weeks. The temperature, photoperiod, and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) in the phytotron were $22{\pm}2^{\circ}C$, 16 h, and $25{\pm}2{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$, respectively. Light sources combined with HL promoted stem elongation, and plant height and internode length decreased with increasing red to far-red (R:FR) ratio. FL tube + LED tube, HPS, and FL tube promoted branching, whereas plants grown under light sources combined with HL did not have any branches. Days to flowering (from longest to shortest) occurred as follows: FL tube + HL > FL tube + HL > MH > HPS = FL tube + FL bulb > FL tube + LED tube > LED tube > FL tube, indicating that reducing the R:FR ratio of the light sources promoted flowering. Only 20% of plants grown under an FL tube flowered, whereas under all other treatments, 100% of plants flowered. At 10 weeks after treatment, plants grown under HPS and MH had (cumulatively) 12 open flowers, and those grown under FL tube + FL bulb, LED tube, FL tube + LED tube, and HPS treatment had approximately seven flower buds. These results suggest that light sources with low R:FR ratios promote flowering and stem elongation in petunia, but they reduce its ornamental value due to overgrowth and poor branching.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.285-292
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• 2011

In plants, heteroblasty reflects the morphological adaptation during leaf development according to the external environmental condition and affects the final shape and size of organ. Among parameters displaying heteroblasty, leaf index is an important and typical one to represent the shape and size of simple leaves. Leaf index factor is eventually determined by cell proliferation and cell expansion in leaf blades. Although several regulators and their mechanisms controlling the cell division and cell expansion in leaf development have been studied, it does not fully provide a blueprint of organ formation and morphogenesis during environmental changes. To investigate genes and their mechanisms controlling leaf index during leaf development, we carried out molecular-genetic and physiological experiments using an Arabidopsis mutant. In this study, we identified macrophylla (mac) which had enlarged leaves. In detail, the mac mutant showed alteration in leaf index and cell expansion in direction of width and length, resulting in not only modification of leaf shape but also disruption of heteroblasty. Molecular-genetic studies indicated that mac mutant had point mutation in ROTUDIFOLIA3 (ROT3) gene involved in brassinosteroid biosynthesis and was an allele of rot3-1 mutant. We named it mac/rot3-5 mutant. The expression of ROT3 gene was controlled by negative feedback inhibition by the treatment of brassinosteroid hormone, suggesting that ROT3 gene was involved in brassinosteroid biosynthesis. In dark condition, in addition, the expression of ROT3 gene was up-regulated and mac/rot3-5 mutant showed lower response, compare to wild type in petiole elongation. This study suggests that ROT3 gene has an important role in control of leaf index during leaf expansion process for proper environmental adaptation, such as shade avoidance syndrome, via the control of brassinosteroid biosynthesis.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.719-727
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• 2010

Reduced irradiance promotes shoot elongation depending on developmental stage and environmental factors and decreases plant quality in $Cyclamen$ $persicum$ Mill. To determine the petiole elongation responses to low irradiance, 'Metis Scarlet Red' cyclamen at different developmental stages [juvenile (5-6 unfolded leaves), transitional (1-3 visible flower buds), or mature (1-3 elongating peduncles)] was grown in growth modules at 60 (low light, LL) or 240 (high light, HL) ${\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ PPFD within the growth chambers at different temperatures [16/12 (low temperature, LT), 22/18 (medium temperature, MT), or 28/$24^{\circ}C$ (high temperature, HT) (day/night)]. In Experiment I, juvenile plants were either kept in an LL or HL module during the entire treatment of 4 weeks or were transferred to the other module at 1, 2, or 3 weeks after treatment in an MT chamber. In Experiment II, juvenile, transitional, or mature plants were moved to the HL module at 0, 3, 6, 9, or 12 days after being placed in the LL module at the MT chamber and grown for 21 days. In Experiment III, transitional plants were moved to the HL module at 0, 3, 6, 9, or 12 days after being placed in the LL module at the LT, MT, or HT chambers. As the exposure duration to LL increased from 0 to 4 weeks or from 0 to 12 days, petiole length and plant height increased at all temperatures and developmental stages. In Experiment I, the exposure to LL during the latter period, rather than the early period, increased elongation rate. In Experiment II, petiole elongation in transitional plants was more sensitive to LL than juvenile or mature plants during the early period of the treatment for 12 days. In Experiment III, petiole length increased with increasing temperature and exposure duration to LL. Petiole elongation rate at HT increased rapidly from the beginning of LL exposure as compared to LT. Increase of $6^{\circ}C$ in temperature had the similar effect to LL exposure for 3 days in petiole elongation. To conclude, transitional cyclamen under higher temperatures responds more immediately to low irradiance and elongates its petioles.