Molecular mechanisms underlying coordinated responses of plants to shade and environmental stresses

Abstract

SUMMARYShade avoidance syndrome (SAS) is triggered by a low ratio of red (R) to far‐red (FR) light (R/FR ratio), which is caused by neighbor detection and/or canopy shade. In order to compete for the limited light, plants elongate hypocotyls and petioles by deactivating phytochrome B (phyB), a major R light photoreceptor, thus releasing its inhibition of the growth‐promoting transcription factors PHYTOCHROME‐INTERACTING FACTORs. Under natural conditions, plants must cope with abiotic stresses such as drought, soil salinity, and extreme temperatures, and biotic stresses such as pathogens and pests. Plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to simultaneously deal with multiple environmental stresses. In this review, we will summarize recent major advances in our understanding of how plants coordinately respond to shade and environmental stresses, and will also discuss the important questions for future research. A deep understanding of how plants synergistically respond to shade together with abiotic and biotic stresses will facilitate the design and breeding of new crop varieties with enhanced tolerance to high‐density planting and environmental stresses.

MicroRNA164 Regulates Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) Adaptation to Changing Light Intensity

“…Cool-season turfgrasses can potentially endure with as little as 5% of full sunlight. Nevertheless, the typical requirement for healthy growth is usually between 25% and 35% of full sunlight, varying based on the species and the intensity of management practices [19,20]. For perennial ryegrass, its light compensation point and saturation point were reported at 150 and 867 µmol m −2 •s −1 , respectively [21].…”