Plants response to light. | Its Movements and response to light.

Plants response to light. | Its Movements and response to light.

We have always noticed that plants have a very good response and a noticeable reflex to light. 
Light plays a major role in the life f a plant. Light is the main ingredients in the process of making their own food by the process that we boldly know as " Photosynthesis".
This process of using light for growth and making food for itself is stated as " Photomorphogenesis".

Plants responses to light and this can be notices clearly by noticing the movement of a plant. Plants have a inborn tendency to move in the direction of light, and the very good example for this movement can be noticed in a " Sunflower" plant, where the sunflower moves to the direction of the sun during the day time. Another more effective example of a plants response toward light can be noticed in another well known plant " Touch me not" plant, which opens its leaves during the day time to receives more sunlight to make food and closes its leaves during the night.

This whole process of movement of a plant and its response to light is termed as "Phototropism". In the process of phototropism, a plant has the ability to move towards or away from the light source according to the need. The movements are being totally controlled by the hormone"Auxin". Auxin is responsible for plant growth and elongation.

Phototropism results in a rapid and accelerated growth in the plant by the release of auxin in the cells. In order to move toward the light source the cells away from the light intend to grow faster and leads to bending of the plant. This process is mainly explained by the acid growth hypothesis, which clearly explains that the release of auxins in the cells triggers the proton pump inside the cell membrane, which lowers down the pH of the cell to such a extent that the hydrogen bond holing the cellulose fibres gets broken apart and the cell wall attains a greater flexibility and elongability and expandability. Resulting in the bending of the plant towards or away from the light source.

Another most interesting process of response of a plant towards light is by the process of "Photoperiodism". Potoperiodism is one of the most important process in the life of a plant. The pigment shift between the two forms based on whether it receives more red or far red light or blue lights. The reaction and process involves some of the most important systems in the plant like seed germination, stem elongation, dormancy and blooming in daylight sensitive plants.

In this process the plants reaction to dark and light is controlled the "phytochrome " pigments in the plants leaves. Photoperiodism is also responsible for the stimulation of dormancy.