Plant pigments: the many faces of light perception

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Good reviews have been published over the years regarding many aspects of plant response to light, such as important advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of light perception, signaling and control of gene expression by the photoreceptors. Moreover, many efforts have been undertaken on the manipulation of these mechanisms to improve horticultural crop production. In this paper we present an overview about the photoreceptors, the relationship between their absorptive and reflective properties and their control of plant development as well perspectives focused on photomorphogenesis manipulation.