Rapid Suppression of Growth by Blue Light

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Abstract
The mechanism of the rapid inhibition of hypocotyl elongation by blue light was investigated in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seedlings by measuring the changes in turgor during the response. A special device, based on the resonance frequency principle, was built which permitted simultaneous and continuous measurements of both tissue rigidity (turgor) and growth rate on a single intact hypocotyl. The large decrease in growth rate following blue irradiation was consistently accompanied by a small increase in resonance frequency. This result indicates that blue light inhibits growth by decreasing the yielding properties of the cell walls, resulting in a slight rise in turgor because of the coupling between growth rate and turgor.