PHOTOTROPISM–THE NEED FOR A SENSE OF DIRECTION?

Abstract— The ill defined nature of the conceptual framework used to guide research on phototropism is a handicap to progress. It is argued that some of the central concepts, such as the stimulus perception-transduction-response chain, have not given a useful sense of direction. Likewise the arguments as to whether hormones are involved in phototropism have now become a distraction. A constructive phase is now needed, building on an agreed framework. There is an urgent need to identify the universal elements of phototropism and to distinguish those elements from the ones which apply only in specialised cases.