Ask A Scientist© Botany Archive

name        Jay J.
status      student
age         16

Question - How can I grow a plant tat is an albino plant,or a plant without
chlorophyll,I know its possible to grow them and you may know the answer.
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A plant that photosynthesises, and thus is green, cannot survive under normal
conditions without chlorophyll. Seeds sprouted in the absence of light will
produce white shoots, but they will live only as long as the food stored in
the seed lasts. If there is some way to "feed" such a plant and keep it
growing I have not heard of it.

J. Elliott
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http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF4/433.html
http://www.science.siu.edu/parasitic-plants/Chapter3.html

Anthony R. Brach, Ph.D.
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There are seeds that produce albino plants. These are from plants that have
a genetic mutation in their chlorophyll producing genes. You can order them
from a biological supply company. There are also certain plant genes that
are partially under environmental control and if you germinate the seeds in
the dark and keep the plants in the dark, they will not "spend the energy" to
produce chlorophyll in the absence of the sun's energy. They can't grow this
way indefinitely however; they will "starve" without a way to produce food.

van hoeck
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