| Summary: | The gas exchange responses of two cultivars of Hordeum vulgare L., to light, temperature, CO₂ and water stress were investigated in the laboratory. The optimum temperature for net CO₂ assimilation was found to be 25°C and 22.5°C for cv. Clipper and cv. Dayan respectively. Net CO₂ assimilation was reduced at 30°C in cv. Dayan. At low light intensity the highest quantum yield efficiency was 0.051 mol.mol⁻¹ at 30°C for cv. Clipper, and 0.066 mol.mol⁻¹ at 20°C for cv. Dayan. At the same temperature, cv. Clipper had a higher water use efficiency than cv. Dayan, but stomatal conductance for cv. Dayan was higher than cv. Clipper. Stomatal limitation to CO₂ was lowest at the optimum temperature for CO₂ assimilation in both cultivars. Stomata limited CO₂ assimilation in cv. Clipper to a larger degree than in cv. Dayan. Relative stomatal limitation for cv. Clipper at 25°C was 0.280 ± 0.010, and for cv. Dayan at 22.5°C was 0.028 ± 0.011. Short-term exposure to elevated CO₂ concentrations increased CO₂ assimilation in both cultivars, but more so for cv. Clipper. Transpiration rate at elevated CO₂ partial pressures were higher in cv. Dayan than in cv. Clipper. At very high CO₂ (860 μmol.m⁻²s⁻¹) partial pressure water use efficiency in cv. Clipper was higher than cv. Dayan, but at low CO₂ partial pressures water use efficiency in cv. Dayan was higher than cv. Clipper. Water stress reduced the relative leaf water content and net CO₂ assimilation in both cultivars. Cultivar Dayan was more tolerant to water stress, and CO₂ assimilation in this cultivar was less affected by water stress. In both cultivars water stress increased the concentration of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and chlorophyll a+b. The chlorophyll a:b ratio remained relatively constant throughout the stress period. No correlation between relative leaf water content and total carotenoid concentration was observed.
|
|---|
