<em>In vitro</em> flowering of tobacco induced by light emitting diode

Abstract

440-442The influence of light quality on the in vitro flowering of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) var. Jayasri was investigated. A number of different light conditions, namely, fluorescent, red light-emitting diodes (LEDs), blue LEDs, and red and blue (1:1) LEDs, were used in in vitro cultures. It was found that in vitro flowering percentage increased and days to flowering were reduced significantly in the presence of red and blue (1:1) LEDs compared to fluorescent light. Growth parameters, like fresh and dry wt, stem length, leaf area, chlorophyll and carotenoid content were the highest when plants were grown under red and blue (1:1) LEDs. In contrast, soluble sugar content was lower in plantlets under red and blue (1:1) LEDs. These finding signifies that red and blue (1:1) LEDs may be triggering the metabolic activity of tobacco. The present study thus suggests that red and blue (1:1) LEDs significantly promote the in vitro flowering of tobacco, representing a potentially new in vitro experimental platform to study the molecular mechanism of flowering