Light quality controls shoot elongation through regulation of multiple hormones

Plants that grow in dense vegetations often compete for light and display a suite of adaptive responses, referred to as the shade avoidance syndrome (SAS). The SAS is comprised of enhanced elongation of stems, petioles and hypocotyls, movement of leaves to a more vertical position, enhanced apical dominance and early flowering.1,2 Most of these responses help plants to position their photosynthetic organs in the better lit, upper zones of a canopy.