Question

If you were making a product of artificial "Grow-Lites" for plants, what color light should

they emit so that plants can do photosynthesis (make sugars) most effectively?

Answer 1

For effective photosynthesis, artificial "Grow-Lites" should emit blue and red light, as these are the wavelengths best absorbed by chlorophyll used in photosynthesis. Blue and red light also align with greenhouse management practices which utilize these colors for promoting leafy growth and flowering in plants, respectively.

Step-by-step explanation:

If you were making a product of artificial "Grow-Lites" for plants, the color light that should be emitted to allow plants to do photosynthesis most effectively would most likely be blue and red. Plants use chlorophyll a and b for photosynthesis, which primarily absorb light in the blue and red wavelengths of the visible spectrum. Therefore, the predicted order of plants from most to least growth under different colored lights would be: Plant A (blue light), Plant C (orange/red light), and Plant B (green light), as green light is least absorbed by the photosynthetic pigments.

Regarding plants containing only chlorophyll b and exposed to different wavelengths, blue light (450nm) and red light (670nm) would harness the most energy for photosynthesis, as both chlorophyll a and b absorb light in these regions more effectively than x-rays or infrared light, which are outside the scope of photosynthetic active radiation.

Greenhouse management practices include the utilization of specific light wavelengths to control plant growth, flowering, and ripening. Blue light encourages leafy growth, which is excellent for starting seedlings, while red light tends to promote flowering. Adjusting these lighting schedules can assist in achieving the desired plant growth and flowering times.

Answer 2

-blue and red light

Step-by-step explanation:

Plants produce sugars or carbohydrates during the process of photosynthesis. They absorb light energy from the electromagnetic spectrum with pigments within the thylakoid membrane, like chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b.

Chlorophylls are made of ringed molecules chlorine, a hydrogenated form of porphyrin with a magnesium ion bonded to four atoms of nitrogen. Chlorophyll a shows the most absorption of red light (642 nm) and blue light (372 nm); while chlorophyll b shows the most absorption at 626 nm and 392 nm.

Different types of chlorophyll sidechains change the molecules' absorption ranges; A's methyl group is bound at carbon 7, B's aldehyde (CHO) ring is bound at carbon 7. Both absorb light from orange-red and violet-blue wavelengths. As such, the best light wavelengths for photosynthesis are within the blue and red wavelengths (425–450 nm) and (600–700 nm).