The circadian rhythm in Bryophyllum leaves: Phase control by radiant energy.

A 4-h exposure to white light from fluorescent lamps can shift the phase of the rhythm of CO2 output in leaves of Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi Hamet & Perr. otherwise kept in continuous darkness. The position in the cycle at which irradiation occurs determines the magnitude and direction of the phase shift. Red and white light induce similar advances or delays in the phase, but blue and far-red irradiation have no effect. Far-red irradiation given simultaneously with, or immediately after, exposure to red light, modifies the phase-shift induced by red light alone. Radiation in the red and far-red regions of the spectrum interacted in several experimental régimes, but complete red/far-red reversibility was not observed. The evidence suggests that phytochrome is the receptor molecule involved in the induction of phase-shifts by light.