Internode length in pisum: do the internode length genes effect growth in dark-grown plants?

Internode length in light-grown peas (Pisum sativum L.) is controlled by the interaction of genes occupying at least five major loci, Le, La, Cry, Na, and Lm. The present work shows that the genes at all of the loci examined (Le, Cry, and Na) also exert an effect on internode length in plants grown in complete darkness. Preliminary results using pure lines were verified using either segregating progenies or near isogenic lines. The major cause of the differences was due to a change in the number of cells per internode rather than to an alteration of the cell length. Since the genes occupying at least two of these loci, Le and Na, have been shown to be directly involved with gibberellin metabolism, it appears that gibberellins are not only essential for elongation in the dark but are limiting for elongation in the nana (extremely short, na), dwarf (Na le), and tall (Na Le) phenotypes. These results are supported by the large inhibitory effects of AMO 1618 treatments on stem elongation in dwarf and tall lines grown in the dark and the fact that applied gibberellic acid could overcome this inhibition and greatly promote elongation in a gibberellin-deficient na line. It is clear that the internode length genes, and in particular the alleles at the Le locus, are not acting by simply controlling the sensitivity of the plant to light.