This project aims at investigating the effect of CO2 enrichment on the growth and gas exchange of C3, C3-C4 and C4 Panicum grasses. Potted plants were grown in soil under well watered conditions, in artificially lit environmentally controlled cabinets or naturally lit greenhouses at varying levels of CO2 enrichment. CO2 enrichment enhanced the dry weight of C3 and C4 Panicum species under optimal light and N supplies, but had no effect on the total leaf N or TNC concentrations. The high-CO2 induced photosynthetic reaction in the C3 species was accompanied by a reduced Rubisco concentration and was related to the conservation of the relative growth rate of the plant. Elevated CO2 had no effect on the photosynthetic capacity of the C4 species, but enhanced its CO2 assimilation rates under high light and N supplies. The effect of elevated CO2 on the leaf and stem anatomy reflected increased carbon supply at high CO2 in the C3 grass, and reduced transpiratory demand at high CO2 in C4 grasses. Consequently, it is clear that both C3 and C4 grasses are likely to be more productive under rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/181679 |
| Date | January 1997 |
| Creators | Ghannoum, Oula, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, Faculty of Agriculture and Horticulture, School of Horticulture |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Source | THESIS_FAH_HOR_Ghannoum_O.xml |
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