Intraspecific variability in the response to light quality inCrotalaria incanaandImpatiens sultanii

摘要

To study some aspects of intraspecific variability, half-sib families ofCrotalaria incanaL. andImpatiens sultaniiHook. f. were grown in the field exposed to reflected light of either high or low red to far-red ratio, without direct shading. Plants of both species responded to the light quality of the reflected light.Crotalariaplants were more responsive; a reduction in the red to far-red ratio in reflected light produced a significant increase in height, internode length, petiole length, leaf area, and dry weight. InImpatiens, only internode length was significantly increased by this treatment. For some traits, in both species, half-sib families differed significantly in the response to the light treatments. For several characters there were significant interactions between the light-quality treatment and family, suggesting that the response to light quality may have a genetic component. The changes induced by an alteration in light quality may have important fitness consequences.Key words: intraspecific variability, red to far-red ratio, morphological traits,Crotalaria incana,Impatiens sultanii.