Etiolation

As etiolation or etiolation is called in plant physiology those features that have plants when they grow at lack of photosynthetically usable light.

It consists in a significantly accelerated length growth, for short periods several centimeters per day, because the plant is trying to develop a light source. The internodes are moved far apart, the leaves appear after this growth spurt often scale-like small and because chlorophyll deficiency pale yellow or slightly brownish. The roots, however, have only reduced growth. As a rule, no complete chlorophyll is formed in the dark. Exceptions are: Tradescantia albiflora, some gymnosperms and many lower plants.

Etiolated seedlings usually only have less strongly developed strengthening tissue, making them appear soft and pliable. This is sometimes also deliberately exploited in agriculture; so the rods of woody plants to be like that of asparagus or bamboo shoots remain edible, as long as they are vergeilt. If they are exposed, the tissue is rapidly tough, woody and very difficult to digest. Chicory only gained thereby be desired growth.

At droppings of cattle rank patches may arise because the cattle with feces contaminated plants and avoids heavily contaminated these areas, and the plants are shielded from light.

Water-based plants can be geilwüchsig and submit in a short time enormous growth in length to reach the water surface with a lack of light or turbid water; However, they maintain this growth spurt not long sustain and lose as a result in particular of the low-lying parts of the stalk their leaves. Reach her at this time no usable light source, they die or form fehlwüchsige shoots and adhesions from. In the aquarium this habit particularly occurs when light is missing, but the Nähstoffangebot in the basin is consistent enough. Targeted use of this growth behavior after reduction of lighting, blending plants and re adequate lighting after the formation of young shoots but also shapes can be produced, which would not arise under constant light conditions.

Further development

A plant forms that fear drives to relocate their leaf mass in an area with sufficient light. Should this be done and can then assimilate the music well, the engines so far only weakly structured is enhanced by incorporation and cultivation of materials and otherwise remains in his now successful, there are form.

However, it may often happen that the drive for his job is not stable enough and is bent by wind, gravity, or by grazing animals. Since fear drives are built to commencement of development with little material, the resistance against such damage is quite low.