The role of temperature in determining the stimulation of CO2 assimilation at elevated carbon dioxide concentration in soybean seedlings

Abstract

Soybean (Glycine max cv. Clark) was grown at both ambient (ca 350 μmol mol−1) and elevated (ca 700 μmol mol−1) CO2 concentration at 5 growth temperatures (constant day/night temperatures of 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40°C) for 17–22 days after sowing to determine the interaction between temperature and CO2 concentration on photosynthesis (measured as A, the rate of CO2 assimilation per unit leaf area) at both the single leaf and whole plant level. Single leaves of soybean demonstrated increasingly greater stimulation of A at elevated CO2 as temperature increased from 25 to 35°C (i.e. optimal growth rates). At 40°C, primary leaves failed to develop and plants eventually died. In contrast, for both whole plant A and total biomass production, increasing temperature resulted in less stimulation by elevated CO2 concentration. For whole plants, increased CO2 stimulated leaf area more as growth temperature increased. Differences between the response of A to elevated CO2 for single leaves and whole plants may be related to increased self‐shading experienced by whole plants at elevated CO2 as temperature increased. Results from the present study suggest that self‐shading could limit the response of CO2 assimilation rate and the growth response of soybean plants if temperature and CO2 increase concurrently, and illustrate that light may be an important consideration in predicting the relative stimulation of photosynthesis by elevated CO2 at the whole plant level.