Environmentally Modified Organisms - Expanding Genetic Potential with Light

Light is a potent regulator of plant growth and development, impacting gene expression to global physiology and metabolism. Plants sense a broad range of wavelengths, from UV to far-red, through separate photoreceptors. These light sensors direct adaptive responses under changing environmental conditions and specifically activate precise downstream signaling pathways. Research studies in photobiology, mostly in Arabidopsis thaliana, have characterized light effects on many plant behaviors, along with the genetic mechanisms that control them. Transferring this knowledge to crops has opened a new field in plant science where variation in light quantity, quality, duration or combinations can be used to change plant growth, development or metabolism to influence a desired final product. With the potential of easily being introduced into production chains, and given its safety and relative low cost, this approach can be combined with, or used as an alternative to, breeding or genetic engineering. We review how light has been used in 22 different crop species to manipulate growth characteristics, nutritional value, and yield. We also discuss future opportunities in using light to control produce quality or timing of plant product production.