Abstract
THE extractable activity of nitrate reductase from higher plant leaves is inducible by light, and shows, under natural growth conditions, a pattern of diurnal variation1. Studies on the nature of light involvement have generally used the green leaf as experimental material, implying that photosynthesis supports the induction process1,2. We have examined the role of light for the induction of nitrate reductase activity in the etiolated terminal buds of field peas (Pisum arvense cv. Century). Treatments consisted of brief exposure of intact plants to broad bands of light, followed by a period in darkness before extraction for enzyme assay. These light treatments exclude the possibility of photosynthesis as a process contributing to induction. Under these conditions, induction is shown to be reversibly controlled by red and far red light, an effect ascribable to the pigment phytochrome.
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JONES, R., SHEARD, R. Nitrate Reductase Activity: Phytochrome Mediation of Induction in Etiolated Peas. Nature New Biology 238, 221–222 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio238221a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio238221a0
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