Role of Light in Plant Development

Abstract

During the course of evolution, plants developed the capability of capturing and utilizing the solar radiation. These plants gained an evolutionary advantage over those that have not developed these traits. Light besides being an important source of energy also controls many developmental processes like photoperiodism, phototropism and photomorphogenesis of plant growth. Oxygen in the atmosphere is generally believed to come from light induced water-splitting that occurs in oxyphotosynthetic organisms catalysed by the oxygen evolving centre of photosystem II. To optimize both the roles of light, plants evolved complex system and the most established higher plants photoautotrophic mode of nutrition is responsible for establishing and sustaining the human civilization.