Premium
Changes in Efficiencies and Numbers of Chloroplasts Associated with Divergent Selection for Juvenile Productivity in Zea Mays (L.) 1
Author(s) -
Hanson W. D.
Publication year - 1973
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/cropsci1973.0011183x001300030029x
Subject(s) - biology , photosynthesis , zea mays , chlorophyll , guard cell , productivity , chloroplast , chlorophyll a , botany , heritability , photosynthetic efficiency , horticulture , agronomy , gene , genetics , economics , macroeconomics
Selections of maize ( Zea mays L.) which differed in vegetative productivity also differed in photosynthetic efficiencies. The nature of the associated response was evaluated. Selections for high productivity had similar chloroplast diameters but larger guard and epidermal cells than selections for low productivity. The high selections had 90% the DNA per cm 2 leaf area but 110% the DNA per leaves 4 to 6 of the low selections. They had similar mg chlorophyll per mg DNA, lower net photosynthetic rate per unit area, but higher net photosynthetic rate per mg chlorophyll than the counter low selections. The high heritability (57%) for leaf width was noted. One should be able to modify photosynthetic potential by selecting for leaf width and, thus, for chlorophyll production.