Method and apparatus for improving growth and/or pathogen resistance of a plant using transient high-intensity illumination
First Claim
1. A method of improving the growth and/or pathogen resistance of a plant, said method comprising the step of exposing at least part of said plant to a transient period of high intensity illumination, said high-intensity illumination providing a photon flux at the plant surface having at least one of the following characteristics:
- (a) a red photon flux comprising at least 1 micromoles photons per square meter per second, said photons having a wavelength of between 600 and 700 nm;
(b) a blue photon flux comprising at least 1 micromoles photons per square meter per second, said photons having a wavelength of between 420 and 480 nm;
and wherein said transient period has a duration of at least 10 seconds; and
wherein at least 50% of the energy of the illuminating light falls within said definitions of red photon flux and/or blue photon flux;
further comprising the step of measuring one or more photosystem II efficiencies of the plant, selected from the group consisting of;
(a) photosystem II operating efficiency (Fq′
/Fm′
);
(b) photosystem II maximal photochemical efficiency (Fv′
/Fm′
); and
(c) photosystem II efficiency factor (Fq′
/Fv′
); and
manipulating the photon flux to control one or more of said efficiencies to a desired level.
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Abstract
A method of improving the growth and/or pathogen resistance of a plant, comprising the step of exposing at least part of the plant to a transient period of high intensity illumination providing a photon flux at the plant surface having at least one of the following characteristics: (a) a red photon flux comprising at least 100 micromoles photons per square meter per second, and having a wavelength of between 600 and 700 nm; (b) a blue photon flux comprising at least 100 micromoles photons per square meter per second, having a wavelength of between 420 and 480 nm. The Invention also provides apparatus for providing such conditions to growing plants.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of improving the growth and/or pathogen resistance of a plant, said method comprising the step of exposing at least part of said plant to a transient period of high intensity illumination, said high-intensity illumination providing a photon flux at the plant surface having at least one of the following characteristics:
-
(a) a red photon flux comprising at least 1 micromoles photons per square meter per second, said photons having a wavelength of between 600 and 700 nm; (b) a blue photon flux comprising at least 1 micromoles photons per square meter per second, said photons having a wavelength of between 420 and 480 nm; and wherein said transient period has a duration of at least 10 seconds; and
wherein at least 50% of the energy of the illuminating light falls within said definitions of red photon flux and/or blue photon flux;
further comprising the step of measuring one or more photosystem II efficiencies of the plant, selected from the group consisting of;(a) photosystem II operating efficiency (Fq′
/Fm′
);(b) photosystem II maximal photochemical efficiency (Fv′
/Fm′
); and(c) photosystem II efficiency factor (Fq′
/Fv′
); and
manipulating the photon flux to control one or more of said efficiencies to a desired level. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification