Plant Responses to Shade

In the 1984 article by J.W. Adams and T.H. Attridge, the authors discussed plant responses to shade, emphasizing the importance of the plant pigment phytochrome, which exists in two forms: Pr and Pfr. They highlighted that the red to far-red light (R/FR) ratio is critical in natural environments, as dense canopies lower this ratio, influencing plant growth. Their research, which included constructing growth cabinets to simulate shade-light, focused on the responses of shade-intolerant species like Chenopodium album. They found that low R/FR ratios and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) levels lead to developmental changes in plants, with significant growth responses observed in Chenopodium album under low R/FR ratios. The article concluded that different plant species have developed various strategies to deal with shade, which are influenced by phytochrome and possibly other photoreceptors. However, the document does not mention the number of plants or people involved, so the study's strength cannot be determined.