Are stoloniferous plants able to avoid neighbours in response to low R: FRratios in reflected light?

An experiment was set up to test whether stoloniferous plants are able to a void neighbours by means of asymmetric growth in response to low red:far-re d (R:FR) ratios in light that is reflected by neighbouring plants. Neighbou rs were simulated by green mirrors that were placed on the north-side of th e plants while spectrally neutral mirrors served as a control. Six stolonif erous species (Trifolium repens L., Hydrocotyle vulgaris L., Lysimachia num mularia L., Glechoma hederacea L., Lysimachia nemorum L. and Lamium galeobd olon L.) were included in the experiment. Measurements were made on branchi ng frequency, timing of branching, stolon growth rate, internode length, gr owth direction and biomass distribution. Although differences between treat ments were found in some of these parameters, they were too small to lead t o the avoidance of the simulated neighbours. Only L. galeobdolon produced l ower biomass in response to the green-mirror treatment compared to the cont rol one.