Chapter 2 28 ABSTRACT Food scarcity is a pressing global concern, particularly as the world’s population is projected to increase. With limited agricultural land available, the demand for higher crop yields forces dense planting and intensifies competition for limited resources. One crucial resource that becomes scarce in dense canopies is light, prompting some plants to elongate to search for light and to counter shading. This adaptive behavior is known as the shade avoidance syndrome (SAS). This study focuses on two tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivars, M82 and Moneymaker, serving as representative models. Our investigation delves into how M82 and Moneymaker, cultivated in the field and greenhouse respectively, acclimate to light cues of shade. Our objective was to characterize the tomatoes’ cellular developmental plasticity in response to far-red light, a common cue for detecting neighboring plants. We evaluated cellular phenotypic traits in white light versus far-red supplemented white light conditions that simulate shading or light reflection by green leaves. Using statistical analyses, we identified the most notable responses among the measured traits. Furthermore, we conducted microscopy-based quantification of cell types of the stem in the first internode where we had observed increased elongation under far-red treatment compared to white light. We found significant cellular anatomy responses in pith and interfascicular cambium, paving the way for an in-depth exploration of these cell types in subsequent chapters (3-5).
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