Plants cannot effectively photosynthesize using green light
Recent botanical studies refute the idea that plants cannot effectively use green light, demonstrating that green wavelengths can drive high rates of photosynthesis and CO2 assimilation, particularly under high irradiance.
While older textbook diagrams and absorption spectra (like chlorophyll a/b absorption peaks) suggest lower absorption in the green spectrum, recent empirical gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence studies (e.g., Refs 7 and 11) directly measure photosynthetic assimilation under green light and find it to be highly effective, sometimes outperforming red or blue light at high light intensities. Therefore, the claim is refuted by direct physiological evidence.
Luca Jokic, Isabell Pappert, Tran Quoc Khanh, Ralf Kaldenhoff. Effect of Light Intensity and Light Spectrum of LED Light Sources on Photosynthesis and Secondary Metabolite Synthesis in Ocimum basilicum. 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14091334
The study demonstrates that green light supports high assimilation rates in basil, with carbon assimilation under green light matching or exceeding that of red and blue light at high irradiances.
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Luca Jokic, Isabell Pappert, Tran Quoc Khanh, Ralf Kaldenhoff. Photosynthesis in transition: the importance of wavelengths in the green gap for Ocimum basilicum L.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1842244
This recent study shows that green-gap wavelengths exhibit surprisingly high CO2 assimilation rates, contradicting the long-standing assumption that plants cannot effectively use green light.
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