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Stomatal limitation of photosynthesis in winter production of greenhouse tomato plants
Author(s) -
Ayari Olfa,
Samson Guy,
Dorais Martine,
Boulanger Rénald,
Gosselin André
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.2000.1100420.x
Subject(s) - lycopersicon , photosynthesis , stomatal conductance , greenhouse , photosystem ii , biology , horticulture , botany , agronomy
In May, greenhouse tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants near the end of their winter production cycle were shown to exhibit a diurnal photosynthetic decrease. In order to identify the physiological causes of this decline, we compared in May the photosynthetic characteristics of the fifth youngest leaves from tomato plants of different ages corresponding to a winter production (11‐month‐old plants) and to a spring production (5‐month‐old plants). Although the leaves were developed simultaneously under the same environmental conditions, only the ones from the winter production showed a diurnal decline of the in situ CO 2 assimilation rate (A CO 2 ). This was accompanied by a decline of internal CO 2 and stomatal conductance and by large accumulations of hexoses. When stomatal closure was relieved under saturated CO 2 concentration (5%) using a leaf‐disc electrode system, the fifth leaves of both tomato cultures had similar maximum quantum efficiency of O 2 evolution (Φ max ), light‐saturated rate of O 2 evolution (P max ) and quantum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry (ΔF/F′ m , q P and q N ). We concluded that the diurnal decline of A CO 2 observed in winter tomato production during May originates from a stomatal limitation that is not dependent on environmental conditions but rather related to the developmental stage of the plants.