Coloured Light & Plant Growth
Humans perceive different wavelengths of light as color. Plants can use some colors of light more effectively than others, and certain colors induce specific kinds of responses in plants. Does this Spark an idea?
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Types
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Plants have several different photosynthetic pigments they use to capture light energy. The most abundant are chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, both of which primarily absorb light in the red and blue regions of the spectrum. The carotenoids absorb violet and blue-green light. Since chlorophyll a and b reflect green light, they appear green to humans. Carotenoids, by contrast, appear orange or yellow.
Effects
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Plants can most efficiently utilize blue, violet and red or yellow light, since their photosynthetic pigments absorb photons with wavelengths in these regions of the spectrum. Green light, by contrast, is mostly reflected, so plants grown under green light will fare poorly and grow slowly if at all.
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Other Effects
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Plants also have receptors for certain wavelengths of light that play an important role in their response to environmental conditions. Certain blue-light receptors, for example, preferentially absorb blue light and help the plant to detect which way the light is coming from--then grow in that direction. Other molecules called phytochromes primarily absorb red or far-red light.
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References
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