Maternal effect of continuous light on seed properties in a short day plant Chenopodium rubrum L. (Chenopodiaceae)

Abstract

Environmental effects on morphological and physiological properties of offspring which occurs during development of mother plant are called maternal environmental effects. Photoperiod is one of the crucial environmental factors according to which plants modify numerous physiological processes. Maternal effect of photoperiod in a short day plant Chenopodium rubrum extends through the whole life cycle of offspring and persist to the second generation, photoperiod during induction and evocation of flowering of mother plants showing the key influence. Here we show that also non-inductive photoperiod preceding flowering induction of mother plants shows its maternal effect on offspring properties: seed size, seed germination and seed protein composition. Presented data argues in favor of earlier suggested that relative amounts of seed proteins represent an “archive“ of photoperiods experienced by mother plants during their lives.