Variation In Photosynthetic Rate Research Articles

Diurnal, Seasonal, and Vertical Changes in Photosynthetic Rates in Cinamomum camphora Forests in Subtropical China

The increase in the global atmospheric CO2 concentration is expected to increase the productivity of forests, but the dynamic processes of such increased productivity in the forest canopy remain unclear. In this study, diurnal and seasonal variations and vertical changes in photosynthetic rates were investigated in Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) forests in subtropical China. The effect of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and CO2 concentrations on photosynthetic rates were also examined in the studied forests. Results showed the diurnal patterns of photosynthesis exhibited two peaks on sunny days, but only one peak on cloudy days. The daily average photosynthetic rate on cloudy days was approximately 74% of that on sunny days. The photosynthetic rate decreased along the vertical forest canopy profile. If the photosynthetic rate in the upper canopy layer was 100%, the corresponding rates were 83% and 25% in the middle and lower canopy layers, respectively. The rates of dark respiration derived from the PAR response curve were 1.73, 1.25, and 1.0 µmol m−2 s−1 for the upper, middle, and lower canopy layers, respectively. The apparent quantum yield of photosynthesis was 0.0183, 0.0186, and 0.0327 µmol CO2 µmol−1 PAR for the upper, middle, and lower canopy, respectively. The initial slope of the photosynthetic response curve to CO2 was highest in the upper canopy and lowest in the lower canopy. The seasonal variation in photosynthetic rates exhibited a two-peaked pattern at all canopy positions, with the two peaks occurring in June and September. The stand biomass and biomass carbon storage were 144.7 t ha−1 and 71.6 t C ha−1 in the examined forests, respectively. The study provides a scientific reference for future research on accessing carbon sequestration and designing forest management practices, specifically in regulating canopy structure in subtropical regions.

Characteristics of photosynthetic rates in different vegetation types at high-altitude in mountainous regions

Mountains play an important role in the carbon cycle of the terrestrial ecosystem and are one of the most sensitive ecosystems to climate change. However, our current knowledge regarding the physiological responses of alpine plants to environmental changes remains limited due to the severe climatic conditions prevailing in these high-altitude regions. Therefore, this study quantified the variations in photosynthetic rates (An) and identified their driving factors of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees along an elevation gradient (2200 m asl to 3200 m asl) on Mount Gongga. Elevation emerged as a significant determinant of An, with a general increase observed, albeit followed by a decline above 3000 m asl. In high-altitude regions, trees displayed more significant fluctuations in An compared to herbaceous plants and shrubs. The lower levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (eCO2) and temperature in high-altitude regions resulted in a 16 % increase in An for herbaceous plants, 60 % increase for shrubs, and 43 % increase for trees compared to the low-altitude areas. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses underscored the considerable impact of environmental factors on An. Notably, photosynthetically active radiation, eCO2, and stomatal conductance were identified as positive influencers, while other factors exerted negative effects. Our results further highlighted that trees were subject to greater constraints from multiple factors compared to herbs and shrubs, aligning with the outcomes of our variance analysis. In summary, our study presents a comprehensive assessment of vegetation responses to environmental factors along elevational gradients. The significance of An in plants at high altitude to external factors suggests the potential adaptability of alpine plants, and also indicates that changes in photosynthetic physiological functions at high altitude should be paid more attention to in the study of climate change.

The asymmetric photosynthetic characteristics of the isobilateral sorghum leaves under the illumination of the diffuse light.

The difference between photosynthesis on the two leaf sides (dorsoventral asymmetry) of photosynthesis is important for light-use patterns, but the asymmetry is environment dependent. Its role in photosynthetic regulation has been intensively studied, but little is known about the impacts of direct and diffuse light on the asymmetry. Because of the current changing fraction of diffuse light in sky radiation, this study investigated the dorsoventral asymmetry of photosynthetic traits under direct and diffuse light conditions in an important food and energy crop, Sorghum bicolor L. A unique method was used to investigate the specific gas exchange of each leaf surface. Anatomical and morphological traits were different between the two surfaces of sorghum leaves, which might result in photosynthetic asymmetry. The variations in photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance were significant between the two surfaces in direct and diffuse light, but the degree of dorsoventral asymmetry decreased in diffuse light. The integrated P N and G s of the adaxial illumination were significantly higher than that of abaxial illumination both in direct and diffuse light in sorghum leaves, but the ASI of the integrated P Nwas 2.83 in direct light, while significantly dropped to 1.69 in diffuse light. Significant morphological differences between the two surfaces might cause photosynthetic asymmetry in the sorghum leaves. The variations of specific gas exchange were significant between direct and diffuse light, including in the incident and self-transmitted light. Compared with direct light, diffuse light reduced the stomatal sensitivity, with the degree of decline being greater in the adaxial surface, which caused weak dorsoventral asymmetry in photosynthesis. The specific photosynthetic characteristics in sorghum leaves varied obviously in direct and diffuse light, including in the incident and self-transmitted light, which contributed to the different overall gas exchange. Compared with direct light, the decline of stomatal sensitivity, which showed positive correlation with stomatal density, caused weakened dorsoventral asymmetry in photosynthesis in diffuse light. The findings provide new insights into dorsoventral asymmetry and the impact of diffuse light on photosynthesis in isobilateral leaves.

Addressing the Relationship between Leaf Nitrogen and Carbon Isotope Discrimination from the Three Levels of Community, Population and Individual.

The carbon, nitrogen and water cycles of terrestrial ecosystems are important biogeochemical cycles. Addressing the relationship of leaf nitrogen (N) and carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) will enhance the understanding of the links between these three cycles in plant leaves because Δ can reflect time-integrated leaf-level water-use efficiency (WUE) over the period when the leaf material is produced. Previous studies have paid considerable attention to the relationship. However, these studies have not effectively eliminated the interference of environmental factors, inter-species, and inter-individual differences in this relationship, so new research is necessary. To minimize these interferences, the present work explored the relationship at the three levels of community, population, and plant individual. Three patterns of positive, negative and no relationship were observed across communities, populations, and individuals, which is dependent on environmental conditions, species, and plant individuals. The results strongly suggested that there is no general pattern for the relationship between leaf N and Δ. Furthermore, the results indicated that there is often no coupling between leaf-level long-term WUE and leaf N in the metabolic process of carbon, N and water in leaves. The main reason for the lack of this relationship is that most plants do not invest large amounts of nitrogen into photosynthesis. In addition, the present study also observed that, for most plant species, leaf N was not related to photosynthetic rate, and that variations in photosynthetic rates are mainly driven by stomatal conductance.

Safety-efficiency tradeoffs? Correlations of photosynthesis, leaf hydraulics, and dehydration tolerance across species.

The tradeoffs between carbon assimilation and hydraulic efficiencies and drought-tolerance traits on different scales are considered a central tenet in plant ecophysiology; however, no clear tradeoff between these traits has emerged in previous studies using woody angiosperms or grasses by investigating several hydraulic tolerance and gas exchange efficiency and/or water transport efficiency traits. In this study, we measured numerous efficiency, resistance, and leaf anatomical traits, including light-saturated gas exchange, leaf hydraulic vulnerability curves, pressure-volume curves, and leaf anatomical traits, in seven species with diverse drought tolerance. A substantial variation in photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, mesophyll conductance, maximum leaf hydraulic conductance (Kmax), mesophyll anatomical traits, and leaf vein density across species was observed. Both mesophyll conductance and Kmax were related to leaf anatomical traits, but other gas exchange traits were decoupled from Kmax. Although the efficiency and tolerance traits varied widely across estimated species, no clear trade-off between safety traits and efficiency traits was observed. These findings suggested that postulated leaf-level drought tolerance-carbon assimilation and hydraulic efficiency tradeoff does not exist among distant species and that the fact that different leaf anatomical traits determine efficiency and tolerance capacity might contribute to the lack of such tradeoffs.

Plastic Pollution in Soil and Crops: Effects of Film Residuals on Soil Water Content and Tomato Physiology

Agricultural producers in China are presently confronting the challenge of “white pollution” caused by the continuous expansion of plastic film area coverage. The main objective of this research is to address the increasing interest in the effects of film residual on tomato growth, yield, and quality under drip irrigation. To reveal the effects of film residual on tomato physiology, field trials were conducted with five levels of film residual treatment applied in two consecutive cropping seasons from 2019 to 2020. Soil water content, plant height, stem diameter, photosynthetic characteristics, yield, soluble sugar content (SSC), organic acid (OA), vitamin C (VC), and nitrate content (NC) were measured; furthermore, four analysis methods were used to assess the comprehensive tomato quality. The results showed that film residuals significantly affected soil water content in 2019 and 2020 and inhibited tomato plant height and stem diameter. The variations in photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance showed practically the same trend, increasing with an increase in the film residual at the seedling stage. The maximum yields were observed at 94.02 ton/hm2 and 84.44 ton/hm2 in 2019 and 2020, respectively, and tomato yield exhibited a shape reduction with increasing amounts of film residual in all years. SSC, VC, and NC showed an increasing trend with increasing amounts of film residual. The best tomato comprehensive quality was observed when the amount of film residual was lower than 200 kg/hm2 and declined with an increasing amount of film residual. Overall, the soil water content, tomato growth, and fruit quality changed significantly under the influence of film residual. These results not only deepen our understanding of the harm caused by film residual to tomato growth and fruit quality but also provide reasonable advice to establish a management system for residual pollution on cultivated land.

Genetic variation in leaf traits and gas exchange responses to vapour pressure deficit in contrasting conifer species

Abstract Mechanistically predicting the evolutionary response of tree species to climate change requires an understanding of genetic variation in relevant traits. Here we compared the phenotypic and genetic variation in the Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES) traits and the response of gas exchange to vapour pressure deficit (VPD) in lodgepole pine (Pico) and white spruce (Pigl), an early and a late successional species dominating the boreal forests of western Canada. We measured gas exchange, foliar nitrogen and lamina mass to area ratio in 697 c. 30‐year‐old trees in two field progeny trials. We analysed the response of gas exchange rates to VPD using a novel quantitative genetic model, the function‐valued trait approach. Pico showed greater phenotypic variation in the LES traits and greater genetic variation in photosynthetic rate than Pigl, but the species showed no significant difference in their phenotypic correlations between the LES traits. Pico showed a less sensitive stomatal response to VPD than Pigl and no significant genetic variation in stomatal sensitivity. In contrast, Pigl showed a positive correlation between the genetic values of stomatal sensitivity to VPD and stomatal conductance under low VPD. Our study region is projected to see an increase in VPD with climate change; the less sensitive and genetically diverse stomatal response to VPD in Pico could make this species more vulnerable to climate‐change‐induced droughts. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Diurnal and seasonal variations in photosynthetic rates of dwarf pine Pinus pumila at the treeline in central Japan

ABSTRACT It is important to develop a convenient method for predicting photosynthetic rates in cold regions such as high elevations. Dwarf pine Pinus pumila is a representative treeline species in Japan. In this study, we investigated how environmental factors affect diurnal and seasonal variations of the in situ photosynthetic rate of P. pumila. Five environmental factors (photosynthetic photon flux density [PPFD], air temperature [T a], soil temperature [T s], vapor pressure deficit [VPD], and soil water content [SWC]) were examined. Photosynthetic measurements were conducted for four needle ages at hourly intervals on fifteen days from July to October 2018. The net photosynthetic rate decreased with needle age and changed seasonally and diurnally for each needle age. The net photosynthetic rate showed unimodal patterns with T a, T s, and SWC. The seasonal and diurnal changes in the net photosynthetic rate were related to seasonal changes in the four environmental factors (PPFD, T a, T s, SWC); the net photosynthetic rate decreased in mid-summer when T a, T s, and PPFD were high due to a decrease in SWC. Seasonal and diurnal changes in net photosynthetic rates could be reproduced by the multiplicative model of the four environmental factors and needle age. Therefore, the photosynthetic rate of P. pumila can be explained and predicted using these environmental factors and needle age. This information will be useful for predicting the effects of climate change on the photosynthetic production of plants in cold regions.

Gas Exchange Characteristics in Selected Accessions of <i>Dendrocalamus strictus</i> Roxb. (Male Bamboo)

Five selected accessions of Dendrocalamus strictus Roxb. were evaluated for gas exchange characteristics at Forest Research Institute Campus, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Physiological attributes were monitored using LICOR 6400 Portable Photosynthetic system. Variations in Photosynthetic rate (A) which was maximum (11.54 μmol CO m -2 s -1 ) in accession of Uttarakhand while minimum in accession of Gujarat whereas transpiration rate (E) was maximum (5.88 m mol H 2O m -2 s -1 ) in accession of Uttar Pradesh and minimum in accession of Himachal Pradesh followed by Uttarakhand. The stomatal conductance to H 2 O (G s ) was maximum (0.18) in accession of Uttar Pradesh in consonance with maximum (294.05 μmol CO 2 mol -1 ) intercellular CO 2 (Ci) where transpiration (E) and vapour pressure deficit (VPD) were minimum in Uttarakhand accession. Instaneous water used efficiency (WUE ins ) was also maximum in accession of Uttarakhand coupled ins with maximum A and lower E. Among the various accessions, Uttarakhand depicted highest A coupled with high instaneous water use efficiency (WUE ins ), thus could be exploited for large scale planting with higher ins productivity.

Photosynthetic activity of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and interspecific hybrid genotypes (Elaeis oleifera × Elaeis guineensis), and response of hybrids to water deficit

Climate change raises significant challenges for oil palm performance, as its physiology can be differentially affected by water deficit depending on genotype. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the leaf gas exchange and photochemical activity in oil palm seedlings of two genotypes of Elaeis guineensis (G) and four interspecific hybrids of E. oleifera × E. guineensis (OG) and evaluate the effect of water deficit for 15 days on water status and photosynthetic traits in a subset of two OG genotypes. Significant differences in gas exchange and photochemical activity variables occurred among well watered seedlings of G and OG genotypes, showing a wide range of variation in photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency and electron transport rate. In the two selected OG genotypes, water deficit caused a reduction in leaf relative water content, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate and water use efficiency of 20, 99, 60, 52 and 98 %, respectively; maximum rate of RuBisCO carboxylation, maximum electron transport rate, and triose phosphate utilization rate were markedly reduced (70 – 80 %) by water deficit. The response of gas exchange and biochemical related variables to water deficit seemed to be bimodal, with stomatal closure being the first response and reduction of biochemical photosynthetic capacity the second one. There were differences in physiological performance among genotypes in well watered plants, and both OG genotypes were sensitive to WD but showed different responses, suggesting possible genotypic differences in tolerance.

Seasonal variation in photosynthetic rates and satellite-based GPP estimation over mangrove forest.

In view of increasing anthropogenic influences and global changes, quantification of carbon assimilation through photosynthesis has gained tremendous significance. Precise estimation of Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) is essential for several ecosystem models and is typically done using coarser scale satellite data. The mangrove ecosystem, which offers significant protection to the coastal environment, is one of the critical habitats from a global change point of view. Light use efficiency (LUE) was measured using diurnal in situ photosynthetic rate observations for 13 dominant mangrove species for 3 seasons at each of the three mangrove dominant test-sites situated along the east and west coast of India. Variations in photosynthetic rates among these species were studied for 3 seasons that indicated varying responses of mangrove ecosystem at each site. Among all species, Rhizophora mucronata and Sonneratia apetala indicated higher values at two of the test-sites. IRS Resourcesat-2 LISS-IV datasets were used for the estimation of GPP. Mean GPP for all the sites varied from 1.2 to 7.7g C m-2day-1 with maximum value of 14.4g C m-2day-1. Mean values of GPP varied across the sites, based on its maximum LUE values and available photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). The results provide GPP values at much better spatial resolution for a threatened habitat like mangroves that typically survive in a narrow habitat along the coasts.

Contributions of soil temperature and moisture drivers to variations in perennial vetch (Vicia unijuga) productivity potential in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau region of China

AbstractIn alpine regions of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China, perennial vetch (Vicia unijuga A. Br.) productivity is often low and variable, constrained by the cold and erratic precipitation environment. The aim of the current study was to identify the soil-environmental modifications needed in harsh alpine environmental conditions for improvement of perennial vetch growth, forage biomass production and seed yield. A 3-year field experiment was conducted in an alpine region of China to evaluate the effects of modified soil temperature and moisture conditions generated by three mulching treatments – plastic film mulching (FM), removal of plastic film mulching at the 30% flowering stage and barley straw mulching – on perennial vetch productivity. Higher mean soil temperature and soil water content were recorded in the FM treatment than in the control and other treatments. This enhanced perennial vetch growth, as indicated by higher photosynthetic rate, higher leaf area index and greater above-ground dry matter, and thus higher seed yield and water productivity. Examination by multiple linear regression showed the relative contribution of mean soil temperature to the variations in photosynthetic rate, above-ground dry matter and seed yield were greater than soil water content, whereas the reverse occurred in seeds/pod. In conclusion, the FM treatment provided adequate soil temperature and water resources to improve photosynthetic rate, above-ground dry matter, seed yield and water productivity, and thus increased the productivity potential for perennial vetch in the alpine region. The current research provides scientific support for large-scale perennial vetch cultivation and management in alpine regions.

Research on spatial distribution of photosynthetic characteristics of Winter Wheat

In order to explore the spatial distribution of photosynthetic characteristics of winter wheat leaf, the photosynthetic rate on different parts of leaf (leaf base-leaf middle-leaf apex) and that on each canopy (top layer-middle layer-bottom layer) leaf during the whole growth period of winter wheat were measured. The variation of photosynthetic rate with PAR and the spatial distribution of winter wheat leaf during the whole growth periods were analysed. The results showed that the photosynthetic rate of different parts of winter wheat increased with the increase of PAR, which was showed as leaf base>leaf middle>leaf apex. In the same growth period, photosynthetic rate in different parts of the tablet was showed as leaf middle>leaf base>leaf apex. For the different canopy layer of winter wheat, the photosynthetic rate of the top layer leaf was significantly greater than that of the middle layer and lower layer leaf. The photosynthetic rate of the top layer leaf was the largest in the leaf base position. The photosynthetic rate of leaf of the same canopy layer at different growth stages were showed as tasseling stage >grain filling stage > maturation stage.

Three-Year Study on Diurnal and Seasonal CO2 Sequestration of a Young Fraxinus griffithii Plantation in Southern Taiwan

This study examined monthly carbon sequestration of the Himalayan ash (Fraxinus griffithii C. B. Clarke), an important plantation species in Taiwan. From January 2010 to December 2012, data were collected from an F. griffithii plantation in southern Taiwan, which experiences a typical Southeast Asia monsoon climate. To estimate CO2 sequestration rate, we conducted diurnal measurements of photosynthetic rates and seasonal measurements of photosynthetic light response curves. We also calculated leaf area index to estimate the total leaf area of individual trees. The diurnal variation in photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration exhibited seasonal and annual differences. The range of net CO2 assimilation rates was 1.34–8.68 µmol·m−2·s−1 in 2010, 1.02–6.60 µmol·m−2·s−1 in 2011, and 1.13–4.45 µmol·m−2·s−1 in 2012. A single F. griffithii tree sequestrated 12.21 kg·year−1 CO2 on average. Annual CO2 sequestration occurred primarily during the summer for all years, averaging 14.89 Mg·ha−1·year−1 for three years. Correlation analyses between various environmental variables and CO2 sequestration rates indicated that air temperature and soil water content were likely the main factors influencing carbon sequestration of F. griffithii at this study site.

Presence of competitors influences photosynthesis, but not growth, of the hard coral Porites cylindrica at elevated seawater CO2

Abstract Changes in environmental conditions, such as those caused by elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), potentially alter the outcome of competitive interactions between species. This study aimed to understand how elevated CO2 could influence competitive interactions between hard and soft corals, by investigating growth and photosynthetic activity of Porites cylindrica (a hard coral) under elevated CO2 and in the presence of another hard coral and two soft coral competitors. Corals were collected from reefs around Orpheus and Pelorus Islands on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. They were then exposed to elevated pCO2 for 4 weeks with two CO2 treatments: intermediate (pCO2 648) and high (pCO2 1003) compared with a control (unmanipulated seawater) treatment (pCO2 358). Porites cylindrica growth did not vary among pCO2 treatments, regardless of the presence and type of competitors, nor was the growth of another hard coral species, Acropora cerealis, affected by pCO2 treatment. Photosynthetic rates of P. cylindrica were sensitive to variations in pCO2, and varied between the side of the fragment facing the competitors vs. the side facing away from the competitor. However, variation in photosynthetic rates depended on pCO2 treatment, competitor identity, and whether the photosynthetic yields were measured as maximum or effective photosynthetic yield. This study suggests that elevated CO2 may impair photosynthetic activity, but not growth, of a hard coral under competition and confirms the hypothesis that soft corals are generally resistant to elevated CO2. Overall, our results indicate that shifts in the species composition in coral communities as a result of elevated CO2 could be more strongly related to the individual tolerance of different species rather than a result of competitive interactions between species.

Alterações nas características fisiológicas de cultivares de cana-de-açúcar submetida à aplicação de herbicidas

Avaliou-se neste trabalho a influência de herbicidas nas características fisiológicas de três cultivares de cana-de-açúcar. O experimento foi conduzido no delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com três repetições, no esquema fatorial 3 x 8. O fator A foi composto por três cultivares de cana-de-açúcar (RB867515, RB855156 e SP80-1816), e o B, pelos herbicidas (tembotrione, MSMA, diuron + hexazinone, sulfentrazone, trifloxysulfuron-sodium, tebuthiuron, clomazone) e uma testemunha sem uso de herbicidas. A taxa transpiratória das plantas do cultivar RB867515 foi afetada negativamente quando foram aplicados os herbicidas sulfentrazone, tebuthiuron e clomazone em comparação à testemunha. Com relação à eficiência do uso da água, não se observaram diferenças entre os cultivares e a aplicação de herbicidas. A condutância estomática dos cultivares RB867515 e SP80-1816 não foi alterada pelos herbicidas aplicados. Apenas o cultivar RB867515 apresentou taxa fotossintética menor quando se aplicou o sulfentrazone. Os herbicidas testados afetam de forma diferenciada as características fisiológicas nos três cultivares avaliados. O cultivar RB867515 foi o que apresentou menor variação na taxa fotossintética na presença dos produtos testados, em relação à testemunha.

Genotypic variations in photosynthetic and physiological adjustment to potassium deficiency in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum)

A hydroponic culture experiment was conducted to determine genotypic variation in photosynthetic rate and the associated physiological changes in response to potassium (K) deficiency in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seedlings with contrasting two cotton cultivars in K efficiency. The K-efficient Liaomian18 produced 66.7% more biomass than the K-inefficient NuCOTN99B under K deficiency, despite their similar biomass under K sufficiency. Compared with NuCOTN99B, Liaomian18 showed 19.4% higher net photosynthetic rate (Pn, per unit leaf area) under K deficient solutions and this was associated with higher photochemical efficiency and faster export of soluble sugars from the phloem. The lower net Pn of NuCOTN99B was attributed to higher capacity for nitrate assimilation and lower export of soluble sugars. Furthermore, NuCOTN99B showed 38.4% greater ETR/Pn than Liaomian18 under K deficiency, indicating that more electrons were driven to other sinks. Higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) and lower catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities resulted in higher levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS; e.g. O2−and H2O2) in NuCOTN99B relative to Liaomian18. Thus, the K inefficiency of NuCOTN99B, indicated by lower biomass and net Pn under K deficiency, was associated with excessively high nitrogen assimilation, lower export of carbon assimilates, and greater ROS accumulation in the leaf.

Genetic variations in photosynthetic rate, pod yield and yield components in Spanish groundnut cultivars during three cropping seasons

Thirty Spanish groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) cultivars were grown for three cropping seasons, i.e., for two consecutive rainy and summer, and one post-rainy, and evaluated for physiological, morphological and anatomical traits and yield components. Photosynthetic rate ( P N) was measured at full pod (R4) during rainy and post-rainy while at different reproductive growth stages during summer seasons. Response of cultivars to physiological traits differed significantly and cultivars belonging to high P N expressed higher g s and lower difference between leaf and air temperatures (Δ T) indicating that groundnut productivity could be increased by increasing g s. Among the reproductive growth stages, P N was higher during full pod (R4) and beginning seed (R5) in addition Δ T was least during this period. This indicated that Spanish groundnut is more close to the determinate type of growth habit and exhibited reproductive sink driven P N. Associations between morphological and physiological traits and yield components were established and potential trade-offs between various traits were identified. For example, associations between P N and total sink size ( r = 0.43**), weight of mature pods ( r = 0.45**) and harvest index (HI) ( r = 0.48**) were positive while association between P N and Δ T ( r = −0.60**), leaf temperature ( r = −0.47**), petiole length ( r = −0.50**), both leaflet length and width ( r = −66**) were negative. Among the sources of variation, environment was found most detrimental to influence the traits and among the physiological traits influence of environment was more on g s than the P N and Δ T. Similarly, environment has influenced pod yield more than reproductive sink size. Among all the traits studied, P N, g s, pod yield and HI contributed maximum to the observed variation. In conclusion, knowledge on physiological understanding in relation to P N and productivity and wide genetic variability among various traits, as reported in this study, could be utilized in developing new potential germplasm and designing ideotype for making the cultivars more adaptive for different water availability areas in semi-arid tropics worldwide.

The role of Rubisco and cell walls in the interspecific variation in photosynthetic capacity

Photosynthetic capacity is known to vary considerably among species. Its physiological cause and ecological significance have been one of the most fundamental questions in plant ecophysiology. We studied the contents of Rubisco (a key enzyme of photosynthesis) and cell walls in leaves of 26 species with a large variation in photosynthetic rates. We focused on photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency (PNUE, photosynthetic rate per nitrogen), which can be expressed as the product of Rubisco-use efficiency (RBUE, photosynthetic rate per Rubisco) and Rubisco nitrogen fraction (RNF, Rubisco nitrogen per total leaf nitrogen). RBUE accounted for 70% of the interspecific variation in PNUE. The variation in RBUE was ascribed partly to stomatal conductance, and other factors such as mesophyll conductance and Rubisco kinetics might also be involved. RNF was also significantly related to PNUE but the correlation was relatively weak. Cell wall nitrogen fraction (WNF, cell wall nitrogen per total leaf nitrogen) increased with increasing leaf mass per area, but there was no correlation between RNF and WNF. These results suggest that nitrogen allocation to cell walls does not explain the variation in PNUE. The difference in PNUE was not caused by a sole factor that was markedly different among species but by several factors each of which was slightly disadvantageous in low PNUE species.

Diurnal Variations in Photosynthesis, Stomatal Conductance and Leaf Water Relation in Sorghum Grown with or without Silicon under Water Stress

ABSTRACT Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] was grown hydroponically with or without 50 ppm silicon (Si), and exposed to water stress from 10 days after sowing (DAS). At 15 and 23 DAS, we measured dry weight and diurnal variations in photosynthetic rate (P N), stomatal conductance (g s), transpiration rate (T), leaf water potential (ψ L), and water uptake rate (23 DAS only). The reduction in dry weight at 23 DAS caused by water stress was ameliorated by silicon. Under water stress, silicon-treated seedlings showed higher g s, P N, and T than untreated ones. ψ L remained almost constant within treatments throughout the daytime. Water uptake rate was reduced by water stress, but the reduction was ameliorated by silicon. We conclude that silicon enhanced water uptake and g s, improving water supply to the leaves. These effects of silicon occurred soon after exposure to water stress.