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Respiration of Leaves in Light and Darkness 1
Author(s) -
Moss Dale N.
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1966.0011183x000600040017x
Subject(s) - darkness , respiration , biology , plateau (mathematics) , respiration rate , botany , atmosphere (unit) , light intensity , horticulture , optics , physics , mathematical analysis , mathematics , thermodynamics
Leaves of six species were placed in a plexiglass chamber. CO 2‐ free air was admitted to the chamber and the CO 2 concentration in the egress air determined in both light and darkness. The rate of CO 2 evolution from the leaves of five species decreased when they were first lighted, passed through a minimum (“dip”), then increased to a higher rate than the original dark rate (“illumination plateau”). Upon darkening, the rate of CO 2 evolution rapidly increased to a rate higher than the illumination plateau (“dark surge”), then gradually decayed to the original steady state dark respiration rate. Thus, light enhances a reaction which leads to additional CO 2 evolution above normal dark respiration for many species when the CO 2 concentration in the atmosphere is low. Maize did not have this light‐stimulated CO 2 evolution.