Physiology of shade loving plants: A comparative analysis with shade avoiding plants
1*Dibyendu Sekhar Mahanty
1Plant Physiology, Plant Biochemistry and Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory Post Graduate Department of Botany, Barasat Government College, Kolkata-700124 (India) 1*Corresponding author: dibyendu.mahanty@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Shade loving plants have some distinguishing features vis-àvis shade-intolerant species. The adaptive features of shade plants can be anatomical, physiological, morphological etc. Shade leaves generally have more non green pigment content in comparison to the chlorophyll. They are mostly with variety of pigments in the leaves and often with showy leaves, also thus termed as foliage plants. They branch profusely, leaf blades orient according to light falling on them, often with pulvinous, low stomatal frequency, stomatal index. In spite of these differences, they differ in pigment compositions, pigment content, habitat, mode of propagation, life cycle, whole plant senescence etc. If we delve deeper into the physiology of shade loving or shade tolerant plants, it is observed shade plants have adapted themselves to perform photosynthesis under compromised light level. They are programmed to invest heavily in solar technology, as if light was never in short reply. They take a very different method of capturing light for carbon assimilation. Such plants produce mostly are perennial and sexual reproduction in such plants are brief or absent. Unlike crop plants which are shade avoiding in particular shade plants do not have higher chlorophyll a:b ratio. They can capture and use low levels of light to make food. Due to reduced sexual reproduction they are dwarf perennials which are easily propagated, kept indoor in houses, banquets, hotels and various other common places of interest in urban areas. Foliage plants are therefore efficient from both economic, ecological and plant physiological point of view. Shade plants play an important role in human health, environment, ecology, psychology and can cumulatively act towards carbon dioxide sequestration and reduction at the local as well as global level.