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Related Concept Videos

Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light02:00

Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light

Light plays a significant role in regulating the growth and development of plants. In addition to providing energy for photosynthesis, light provides other important cues to regulate a range of developmental and physiological responses in plants.
Light Acquisition02:16

Light Acquisition

In order to produce glucose, plants need to capture sufficient light energy. Many modern plants have evolved leaves specialized for light acquisition. Leaves can be only millimeters in width or tens of meters wide, depending on the environment. Due to competition for sunlight, evolution has driven the evolution of increasingly larger leaves and taller plants, to avoid shading by their neighbors with contaminant elaboration of root architecture and mechanisms to transport water and nutrients.
Light as Energy01:35

Light as Energy

The energy required to carry out photosynthesis is light— typically electromagnetic radiation from the sun. The range of all possible wavelengths is known as the electromagnetic spectrum.
Photons
A photon is a discrete electromagnetic particle or bundle of energy. Photons are characterized by their frequency, wavelength, and amplitude, similar to the properties of a wave. Waves with higher frequencies transmit more energy and have shorter wavelengths than longer wavelengths that transmit less...
Cell Signaling in Plants01:25

Cell Signaling in Plants

Plant cells communicate to coordinate their cycle of growth, flowering and fruiting, and activities in roots, shoots, and leaves in response to the changing environmental conditions. Plant signaling is distinct from animal signaling. Plants primarily utilize enzyme-linked receptors, whereas the largest class of cell-surface receptors in animals are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Unlike animals, receptor tyrosine kinases are rare in plants. Instead, plants have a diverse class of...
Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses02:45

Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses

The circadian—or biological—clock is an intrinsic, timekeeping, molecular mechanism that allows plants to coordinate physiological activities over 24-hour cycles called circadian rhythms. Photoperiodism is a collective term for the biological responses of plants to variations in the relative lengths of dark and light periods. The period of light-exposure is called the photoperiod.
The Antenna Complex01:15

The Antenna Complex

Plants and other photosynthetic organisms comprise pigments capable of absorption of direct sunlight. These pigments are present in the reaction center - the main site of photochemical reactions as well as in the antenna complex. Under average light conditions, the rate at which reaction center pigments absorb light is far below the electron transport chain's capacity. As a result, the reaction center alone cannot provide enough energy to drive photosynthesis. The photosynthetic efficiency can...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

PARbars: Cheap, Easy to Build Ceptometers for Continuous Measurement of Light Interception in Plant Canopies
08:32

PARbars: Cheap, Easy to Build Ceptometers for Continuous Measurement of Light Interception in Plant Canopies

Published on: May 9, 2019

Light relations in plant canopies.

S B Idso, C T de Wit

    Applied Optics
    |January 16, 2010
    PubMed
    Summary

    A new theory accurately models light interactions in plant canopies, benefiting remote sensing and photosynthesis research. The model precisely predicts light reflection and transmission, validated by field measurements in corn crops.

    Area of Science:

    • Plant science
    • Agricultural physics
    • Optics

    Background:

    • Understanding light dynamics in plant canopies is crucial for crop yield prediction and management.
    • Existing models often simplify complex light interactions, limiting their predictive accuracy.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To present a novel theory for light relations within plant canopies.
    • To assess the model's applicability in remote sensing and photosynthetic modeling.
    • To validate the model against empirical field data.

    Main Methods:

    • Development of a theoretical framework for light interactions in plant canopies.
    • Comparison of model predictions with field measurements of light reflection and transmission.
    • Analysis of model performance across varying solar angles.

    More Related Videos

    Using Changes in Leaf Transmission to Investigate Chloroplast Movement in Arabidopsis thaliana
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    Using Changes in Leaf Transmission to Investigate Chloroplast Movement in Arabidopsis thaliana

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    Evaluation of Photosynthetic Behaviors by Simultaneous Measurements of Leaf Reflectance and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Analyses
    10:20

    Evaluation of Photosynthetic Behaviors by Simultaneous Measurements of Leaf Reflectance and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Analyses

    Published on: August 9, 2019

    Related Experiment Videos

    Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

    PARbars: Cheap, Easy to Build Ceptometers for Continuous Measurement of Light Interception in Plant Canopies
    08:32

    PARbars: Cheap, Easy to Build Ceptometers for Continuous Measurement of Light Interception in Plant Canopies

    Published on: May 9, 2019

    Using Changes in Leaf Transmission to Investigate Chloroplast Movement in Arabidopsis thaliana
    07:45

    Using Changes in Leaf Transmission to Investigate Chloroplast Movement in Arabidopsis thaliana

    Published on: July 14, 2021

    Evaluation of Photosynthetic Behaviors by Simultaneous Measurements of Leaf Reflectance and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Analyses
    10:20

    Evaluation of Photosynthetic Behaviors by Simultaneous Measurements of Leaf Reflectance and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Analyses

    Published on: August 9, 2019

    Main Results:

    • The model accurately predicts light reflection at the canopy top and transmission at the bottom within 1% of measured values.
    • Vertical profiles of light within the canopy were also well-approximated.
    • Model predictions align with observed variations due to changes in the sun's altitude angle.

    Conclusions:

    • The presented theory provides a robust and accurate method for modeling light relations in plant canopies.
    • The model has significant potential for enhancing remote sensing applications and photosynthetic efficiency modeling in agriculture.
    • Empirical validation confirms the model's reliability under various conditions.