Setting Up an Arabidopsis LED Culture Module that Simulates Plant Neighbor Proximity

Competition for light between neighboring plants has important consequences for plant fitness and crop productivity. Studies on the molecular mechanisms of plant responses to neighbor proximity have been largely based on the model species Arabidopsis thaliana grown under controlled light environments. These controlled conditions commonly use fluorescent tubes for the main light source for photosynthesis and filtered light form incandescent bulbs to adjust the ratio of red (R) to far-red (FR) radiation. However, both of these types of bulbs are being discontinued and replaced by more efficient sources based on light emitting diodes (LEDs). For that reason, there is a need to evaluate alternative light sources, which can phenocopy the physiological and molecular results obtained with traditional lighting systems. Here we evaluate a custom-made LED culture module that can be used to effectively evaluate shade-avoidance responses, yielding results that, in Arabidopsis, are comparable to those obtained using traditional lighting systems.