Question

Potato is _____ for flower formation but _____ for tuberization.
a) LDP, SDP
b) SDP, LDP
c)LDP, day-neutral
d)SDP, day-neutral

Answer 1

Hint: Photoperiodism of the plant refers to the reactivity of the plant to the length of light and darkness received by it. Based on this plant can be divided into long-day plants, short-day plants, and day-neutral plants. The amount of sunlight received by them differs.

Complete answer:
Short-day plants are those which are in requirement of longer darker periods and very short light periods. The darkness makes them flower. If their dark period is interrupted or gets shortened due to some reason then they don’t flower. The night-time darkness is not enough for such plants. So, they need to be kept in a place where darkness can be maintained for a long stretch of the time period. Even the presence of a small amount of light can interrupt their flowering period. Long day plants are those plants that need sunlight or source of light for the maximum duration of the day. They need a smaller number of dark periods. They flower when the days get longer and nights become shorter. Interruption in their photoperiod can stop their flowering. In potatoes, the flowering is induced by its tuberization. For tuberization it is a short-day plant or SDP and for flowering, it is a long day plant or the LDP. The flowering and tuberization is the strategy adopted by the plants. The tuberization of the plants sends signals to induce the flowering or can be reversed also.

So, the answer is ‘LDP, SDP’.

Note: The photoperiodism plays an important role in the flowering of the plants. Interruption in their dark or the light period can lead to the non-flowering of the plants. So extra care is required by such plants so that they can flower properly on time. The day-neutral plants do not require such care as they can flower without being dependent on the photoperiod.