PHOTOPERIODISM

The biological measurement of the

relative lengths of day and night
 THE DISCOVERY OF PHOTOPERIODISM

1. GARNER AND ALLARD (1920s) AT USDA LAB

AT BELTSVILLE, MD STUDIED FLOWERING IN
MARYLAND MAMMOTH TOBACCO PLANT.

2. MARYLAND MAMMOTH WAS A SINGLE GENE

MUTANT TOBACCO THAT DIDN’T FLOWER IN
THE SPRING OR SUMMER, LIKE WILD TYPE.

3. IT ONLY FLOWERED WHEN BROUGHT INTO

THE GREEN HOUSE IN THE WINTER.
PLANTS CAN BE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THEIR
PHOTOPERIODIC RESPONSES

1. Short Day Plants (SDPs) flower when day length

is shorter than a critical day length.

2. Long day plants (LDPs) flower when the day

length is longer than a critical daylength.

3. Long-short-day plants (LSDPs) flower after a

sequence of long days followed by short days.

4. Short-long-day plants (SLDPs) flower after a

sequence of short days followed by long days.

5. Day-neutral plants (DNPs) are insensitive to

daylength, Flowering is under internal
developmental control.
 The pigment
 This indicated that there should be a
pigment that absorbs red light
(in other words this pigment should be
blue-green)
 This pigment is the mechanism capable of
recognising changes in day length

PHYTOCHROME

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

 The photoperiod mechanism
 Phytochrome exists in two versions which
are inter-convertible
 PR that absorbs red light
 PFR that absorbs far red light

RED
LIGHT
PR PFR
FAR RED
LIGHT
© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS
 In the short-day plant

PFR PR builds up
Darkness (slow)
Far red light (fast)
Short-day
plants

FLORIGEN
Activated

FLOWERING

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

 In the long-day plant
Sunlight
Red light
PFR builds up PR

Long-day
plants
FLORIGEN
Activated

FLOWERING

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

 Summary
Sunlight
Red light
PFR builds PR builds up
up Darkness (slow)
Far red light (fast)
Long-day Short-day
plants plants

FLORIGEN FLORIGEN
Activated Activated

FLOWERING FLOWERING

© 2010 Paul Billiet ODWS

NIGHT BREAK EXPERIMENTS DEMONSTRATE ROLE OF
NIGHT PERIOD IN SDPs
NIGHT BREAK EXPERIMENTS ALSO DEMONSTRATE
ROLE OF NIGHT PERIOD IN LDPs
 THE LENGTH OF THE DARK PERIOD REGULATES THE
PHOTOPERIODIC RESPONSES IN BOTH SDPs AND LDPs
 PHOTOPERIODISM
K. Hamner and J. Bonner 1938
PHYTOCHROME IS THE PIGMENT INVOLVED IN
MEASURING THE NIGHT LENGTH
H. A. Borthwick and S. B. Hendricks 1950’s
THE SITE OF PERCEPTION OF THE
PHOTOPERIODIC STIMULUS IS THE
LEAF
 Flowering - Floral Induction
(branch bud ----> flower bud)

violets, roses,
chrysanthemums
Chailakhan 1920’s
Russian
Florigen
Amount of light and
photoperiods
already known to
be important.
 The flowering signal: florigen
vegetative or
reproductive
growth?

• the flowering signal is SAM

generated in the leaf

• the signal goes one way:

from the leaf to the apex
Florigen

• Grafting transmittable
Florigen
?
Florigen

21
 Leaves produce a chemical signal
termined florigen

• This signal is transmitted to the apical meristem and

the conversion to a floral meristem begins
• Have not completely identified the chemical nature
of florigen
• One component is mRNA encoded by the gene
FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)
• FT protein translated from mRNA binds to and
activates transcription factors in the nucleus of the
meristem
• Activates LEAFY (LFY), which then turns on the
expression of genes needed for flowering
A current model of the action of the FT florigen

Notaguchi, M. et al. Plant Cell Physiol. 2008 49:1645-1658;

doi:10.1093/pcp/pcn154