Sunlight is an element of climate that is very important for plant growth through photosynthesis.
Three main factors of radiation that are important for plants are quantity (intensity), quality, and long periods of irradiation.
Intensity is the amount of energy the plant receives in the area and a certain period of time.
Radiation affects the growth rate, transpiration rate and critical period in growth. Reaction Light in photosynthesis is a direct result of the absorption of photons by pigment molecules such as chlorophyll.
Effect of Light Intensity on Plants
Light intensity can affect metabolic processes in plants. Low light intensity is generally caused by shade.
Species Plants that have shaded habitat (shade plant) have a lower photosynthesis rate, low light compensation points, and the photosynthetic response reaches saturation at a lower radiation level than the species that have habitat in the open area (sun plant).
The shade plant light saturation value is lower because the respiration rate in the shade plant is very low, so that with just a little net photosynthesis produced enough is enough to make the net CO2 exchange rate zero. Low Respiration Rate shows the basic form of adaptation that allows the shade plant to survive in a limited light environment.