Annals of Botany

Effects of environmental factors on dark-adapted photosynthetic induction

March 8, 2017

1 min read

Plants grow in a variable environment. While the effects of various environmental factors such as CO₂ concentration, temperature, air humidity, and blue light on steady-state photosynthesis have been well documented, there has been less focus on the effects of these factors on photosynthesis in fluctuating light.

Photosynthetic induction and stomatal conductance in dark-adapted tomato leaves. — Photosynthetic induction (A, C, E) and stomatal conductance (B, D, F) in dark-adapted tomato leaves, as affected by C_a (A, B), T_leaf (C, D) and VPD_leaf-air (E, F). Irradiance was raised from 0 to 1000 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹ at time = 0 and kept steady for 60 min. In A, C and E, the first 30 min of induction are shown. Mean ± SE (n = 5).

Kaiser et al. reveal that these factors influence photosynthetic induction and its underlying processes in dark-adapted tomato leaves. Photosynthetic induction rates (PIR) increased in high CO₂ concentration and decreased in low air humidity, while leaf temperature caused a slight raise and blue light had no impact on PIR.