The effects of O2 on net photosynthesis at low temperature (5°C)

Abstract

Abstract. It has been shown that atmospheric O2 can either depress or stimulate the rate of apparent photosynthesis of white mustard depending on the environmental conditions: CO2 concentration, light intensity and temperature. Stimulation by O2 was observed only under high photon fluence rate and at high CO2 concentrations. The critical CO2 concentration below which O2 was inhibiting and above which it was stimulating was dependent on the temperature of the assay: for plants grown at 12°C the critical CO2 concentration was 13.35 mmol at 5° C and 21.92 mmol at 10° C. Stimulation by O2 depended also on the growth temperature: for measurements at 26.31 mmol m−3 CO2, O2 was stimulating at temperatures less than 12°C for plants grown at 12°C and less than 19°C for plants grown at 27°C. The efficiency of the O2‐dependent stimulation of net photosynthesis was maximum at 9.21 mol m−3 O2 at 26.31 mmol m−3 CO2.Oxygen‐stimulation of net photosynthesis was detected in Nicotiana tabacum L. var Samsun, Lycopersicum esculentum L. and Chenopodium album L. At 5°C and under high photon fluence rate, O2 increased the carboxylation capacity of the photosynthetic apparatus of mustard and decreased its affinity for CO2. The O2 inhibition of the net CO2 uptake observed at low CO2 concentrations was the result of a decrease in the affinity for carbon dioxide. The nature of the mechanism which causes the stimulation of photosynthesis is discussed.