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The development of new leaves is triggered by light, a finding that contradicts 150 years of conventional thinking. Leaf initiation was thought to be unaffected by environmental cues such as light because the shoot apical meristem — the region at the top of the plant stem responsible for new growth — is sheltered by older leaves.
Cris Kuhlemeier and his team at the University of Bern studied leaf initiation in tomato plants grown in light or darkness. New leaves did not grow on plants kept in the dark, but leaf initiation resumed when plants were transferred to the light. Chemically blocking photosynthesis did not affect leaf production, indicating that light itself is needed.
The researchers propose that light stimulates the cytokinin and auxin signalling pathways; however, it remains unclear how these two hormone systems interact in this process.
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New light shed on leaf growth. Nature 475, 143 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/475143e
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/475143e
