does the color of light affect photosynthesis?

Question

does the color of light affect photosynthesis?

2 Answers

Answer Question

Answer 1

This is a related answer (by me) to a question "How do plants grow in yellow light?"

John's answer is better, but this might add something.

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Very badly, generally speaking. Tests at a plant research institute in Hampshire in the 1960s showed that plants grown out-of-season in greenhouses under sodium light grew barely any faster than similar plants without any sort of artificial light. Plant grown under mercury light, grew very much better. I'm not an expert in the field, but I think it is believed to related to the amount of ultra-violet in mercury lights.

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Answer 2

Very much so.

Standard C3 plants have chlorophyll pigment receptors on the photosystems ( II and I, in that order ) of 680 nanometers and 700 nanometers, which is the wavelength of light that best serves their photosynthetic process. They also have other pigments to catch other wave lengths. You see this on trees in the fall as the leaves change color.

Your homework is to look up those wavelengths of light I gave you above so that you will know what colors they are. 680 and 700 nm.