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Altered physiological function, not structure, drives increased radiation-use efficiency of soybean grown at elevated
Uwe Rascher1, Bernhard Biskup, Andrew D B Leakey
1Institute of Chemistry and Dynamics of the Geosphere ICG-3, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Leo-Brandt-Strasse, 52425 Jülich, Germany. u.rascher@fz-juelich.de
Photosynthesis Research
|April 22, 2010
Summary
Elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) boosts crop biomass by enhancing leaf physiology, not by changing leaf orientation. This improved radiation-use efficiency under higher CO2 levels is key for increased plant growth.
Area of Science:
- Plant physiology and canopy science.
- Photosynthesis and crop productivity research.
- Environmental change impacts on agriculture.
Background:
- Elevated carbon dioxide ([CO(2)]) increases crop radiation-use efficiency (RUE).
- RUE increases are often attributed to leaf-level physiology.
- Canopy structure's role in RUE under elevated [CO(2)] is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To differentiate contributions of leaf physiology and canopy structure to RUE.
- To quantify the impact of leaf display and physiology on canopy photosynthesis.
- To assess the role of leaf orientation versus electron transport in elevated [CO(2)] response.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel 3D imaging technique for canopy structure mapping.
- Modeled leaf orientation and photosynthetic electron transport.
- Quantified leaf-level physiology and canopy light interception.
Main Results:
- Leaf orientation did not change significantly between ambient and elevated [CO(2)].
- Elevated [CO(2)] increased the maximum electron transport rate (ETR(max)) in leaves.
- Stimulated leaf-level electron transport, not leaf orientation, drove increased RUE and biomass.
Conclusions:
- Leaf-level physiological enhancement drives RUE under elevated [CO(2)].
- Canopy structure, specifically leaf orientation, plays a minor role in this response.
- Methodology allows quantitative assessment of structure-function relationships in canopies.
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