Mechanism and Utilization of High Light Efficiency in Plants

Dear Colleagues,

The germination, development, growth, flowering and seed production of plants are strongly influenced by the environment in which they grow and by the interactions with their genetic constitution. Due to the fact that plants are completely dependent on light in driving the photosynthetic and photomorphogenic processes, knowledge on the way plants cope with light is still quite challenging. Depending on the site where plants grow, the competition between different species in mixed, dense or less dense stand, plants will vie with each other for resources, such as light, nutrition and water. Large spatial and temporal variation determine the intensity and spectral quality of light. Plants exposed to direct sunlight experience a daily photon flux density which is much higher than for plants growing in the deep shade of forests. Moreover, the spectral quality of the light will be different for shade plants due the filtering effect of the canopy. To estimate regional and global vegetation productivity of ecosystems and of agricultural-horticultural production systems, several light-use efficiency models has been developed and are still improving. Many crops are cultivated under artificial conditions in which LED technology is paving the way to increase crop production efficiency. Despite the available knowledge, fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanisms on how high light of different intensity and spectral quality affects several physiological processes including the prevention of physiological disorders is still missing.

This Special Issue aims to call for the latest innovative approaches in studying mechanism and utilization of high light efficiency in Plants.

This Special Issue will collect publications on the following topics (but not limited to)

• Effect of light intensity and quality;
• Strategies to optimize light interception;
• Imaging techniques (hyperspectral, chlorophyll fluorescence, thermal imaging) to monitor physiological responses;
• Leaf photosynthesis measurements: spectral analysis, leaf optical measurements, in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence (photochemical – non-photochemical quenching), gas exchange;
• Oxidative stress measurements;
• Molecular and biochemical analysis: genomics, proteomics, metabolomics;
• Data analysis—modelling;
• Applications in agriculture and horticulture: crop productivity.

Dr. Roland Valcke
Dr. Serge Remy
Guest Editors

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• light intensity
• light quality
• spectroscopy
• photosynthesis
• imaging
• chlorophyll fluorescence
• oxidative stress
• omics
• quenching
• crop productivity