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NEWS RELEASE
Early-Season Light Quality Affects Corn Growth and Yield
MADISON, WI, February 22, 2010- Scientists have known for a long time that plants grow differently when they are spaced closer together than farther apart. Plants use phytochromes, a group of protein photoreceptors to sense different wavelengths. Chlorophyll absorbs more red light than far-red light, so environments with more chlorophyll (that is, with higher plant densities) have a lower red to far-red ratio (R:FR). This allows plants to change the way they grow even before they start shading each other.
Crop Scienceis the flagship journal of the Crop Science Society of America. It is a top international journal in the fields of crop breeding and genetics, crop physiology, and crop production. The journal is a critical outlet for articles describing plant germplasm collections and their use.