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Light Quality Effects on Corn Chloroplast Development

Northern Regional Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Peoria, Illinois 61604, Botany Department, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota 58105, Botany Department, Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois 61401

Corn was grown under greenhouse and controlled light quality conditions incluing full spectrum, red (R), and far-red (FR) sources. Young leaf samples were analyzed for pigments, pigment-proteins, membrane polypeptides, and ultrastructure. Chloroplast development in full spectrum white light was similar to that found in R but different from that found in FR plus low R. Compared to greenhouse and R, FR plus low R (670-760) repressed the formation of photosystem I reaction center protein (CP1 + CP1a) and enhanced those of photosystem II (CPa) in both bundle sheath and mesophyll cells. Photosystem II polypeptides were present in both cell types, with the 46 and 34 kilodalton proteins predominant in mesophyll cells. Bundle sheath cells contained relatively more of the 51 kilodalton and less of the 46 kilodalton proteins. However, they also contained measurable amounts of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase which may interfere with estimates of the 51 kilodalton protein.