Bio 240W Jefferson Nicolas

The Effects of Light on the Growth of Brassica Rapa

Introduction

There are several factors such as water, temperature, and sunlight that influence how plants

grow. The purpose of this experiment was to study the growth and development that plants

underwent in dim light and full light conditions. The plant used in this experiment was Brassica

Rapa, which are plant species that are ideal for this experiment due to their quicker growth

period. The plant shoot can undergo a de-etiolation pathway or etiolation pathway depending

on the absence or presence of light. During the etiolation pathway, plants grow in the absence

of light. Plants grown in the presence of light undergo the de-etiolation pathway. These

pathways have distinct physiological and biochemical changes in the plant during its

development. The plant hormone auxin plays a major when studying these pathways; it causes

cell elongation in response to the environment (1). To study the developmental effects of these

pathways on the plants, we measure the stem length, the mass of cotyledon, and the mass of

the plant in both conditions. It was hypothesized that more stem elongation will take place in

plants exposed to dim light. The reasoning for this is that plants seek for light in order to

mature, so it will elongate to increase its probability to reach light. It was also hypothesized that

the plants and its cotyledons would have a higher mass in plants exposed to full light

conditions. Since cotyledons are the first leaves of the plant, food production takes place by the

process of photosynthesis. It also functions as food storage for the plant, which may add weight

to the cotyledon and the plant overall.

Bio 240W Jefferson Nicolas

Methods

A petri dish was labeled with our variable (dim light condition). A wet paper towel was placed in the

petri dish. Two seeds were placed on top of the moist paper towel. The petri dish was stored in a dim

light environment. The plants were maintained in the same condition and were watered daily for a

period of 7 days. After 7 days, the plants were obtained and the weight of each plant and the cotyledon

were measured using an analytical balance. The length of each stem was also measured using a ruler.

After class data were collected, it was entered and plotted into excel.

Results

The average length of the stem in dim light conditions was higher than average length of the stem in full

light conditions. The stem length in dim light conditions grew nearly 2.5 times more than the stem

length in full light conditions (Figure 1). The standard deviation for the average stem length in full light

conditions was 0.66, whereas the standard deviation for the average stem length in dim light conditions

was 0.64.

The average mass of the plants in dim light conditions was higher than the average mass of the plants in

full light conditions. The mass of the plants in dim light conditions was 9% larger than the mass of the

plants in full light conditions (Figure 2). The standard deviation for the average plant mass in full light

conditions was 0.011, whereas the standard deviation for the plant mass in dim light conditions was

0.0068.

The average mass of the cotyledons in full light conditions was higher than the average mass of the

cotyledons in dim light conditions. The mass of the cotyledon in full light conditions was 62% larger than

the mass of the cotyledon in dim light conditions (Figure 3). The standard deviation for the average

cotyledon mass in full light conditions was about 0.0015, whereas the standard deviation for the

average cotyledon mass in dim light conditions was 0.00093.

Bio 240W Jefferson Nicolas

6
Average Stem Length (cm)

0
Full Light Dim Light

Figure 1: The average length of the stems in full light and dim light conditions. Data are expressed as
means and standard error of the mean.

0.046
0.045
0.044
Average Plant Mass (g)

0.043
0.042
0.041
0.04
0.039
0.038
0.037
0.036
0.035
Full Light Dim Light

Figure 2: The average mass of the plants in full light and dim light conditions. Data are expressed as
means and standard error of the means.
Bio 240W Jefferson Nicolas

0.01
0.009
Average Cotyledon Mass (g)

0.008
0.007
0.006
0.005
0.004
0.003
0.002
0.001
0
Full Light Dim Light

Figure 3: The average mass of the cotyledons in full light and dim light conditions. Data are expressed as
means and standard error of the means.
Bio 240W Jefferson Nicolas

Discussion

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of light on plant growth. The plant’s

stem was longer in dim light conditions compare to the full light conditions. These results were expected

because if plants are in shaded areas, it undergoes a physiological change that it extends its stems and

seeks for light. In a study relevant to this, green light exposure to plants stimulated stem elongation,

which antagonize light-mediated growth (2). Since plants repels green light waves, it has a similar effect

on plants as it does in dim light conditions. The physiological mechanism for the increase in lengthening

of the stem of the plant in dim light was hormonal. The hormone auxin is mostly present in the shoot

apical region of the plant, which promotes cell elongation. In the absence of light, auxin is well

distributed in the shoot apical region, which causes the stems to grow more evenly. In doing this the cell

walls become weaker in the stem. On the other hand, in the presence of light, auxin shifts toward the

shaded area of the plant, therefore only promoting cell expansion in the shaded region and not on the

lighted region. This uneven growth is what accounts for the lesser stem growth of plants in full light

conditions.

In addition to stem length, the mass of cotyledon and the mass of the plant were also measured. The

mass of the cotyledon from the plant in full light was higher than cotyledon mass in dim light. These

results were expected because cotyledons are developed in the presence of light, which can produce

and store food. These functions of the cotyledon may account for the increase in weight of plants in full

light conditions. The mechanism for this higher cotyledon weight is the de-etiolation pathway.

Phytochrome receptors are activated by light, which initiates intracellular signaling, and ultimately

produces enzymes that causes the plant to “green up”. This greening process of the plant is what causes

the cotyledon to have prolamellar bodies developed into thylakoids, which is the site where

photosynthesis takes place. The mass of the plant in dim light was higher than the mass of the plant in

full light. This result was unexpected from our group. We hypothesized that the mass of the plant in full

light would be higher because of the expected higher mass in cotyledon.

Bio 240W Jefferson Nicolas

References

(1) Leyser, O. (2010). The Power of Auxin in Plants. Plant Physiology, 154(2), 501–505.

http://doi.org/10.1104/pp.110.161323

(2) Folta, K. M. (2004). Green Light Stimulates Early Stem Elongation, Antagonizing Light-Mediated

Growth Inhibition. Plant Physiology, 135(3), 1407–1416. http://doi.org/10.1104/pp.104.038893