Browsing by Subject "Photosynthese"

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Growth regulation of ornamental and vegetable plants under greenhouse conditions by air stream-based mechanical stimulation
(2022) Sparke, Marc-André; Müller, Joachim
Plant growth regulation is an integral part within the production chain of ornamentals and vegetable seedlings. In protected ornamental horticulture, chemical-synthetic plant growth regulators (PGR) are used to reduce plant size. In vegetable production, the use of these substances is prohibited by law in most counties, which is why non-chemical growth regulation methods must be applied. In this respect, a production method for non-chemical growth control of ornamentals and vegetable seedlings under greenhouse conditions has been developed that is based on the application of air streams, inducing thigmomorphogenesis, the morphological and structural shaping of a plant organism during its development phase as influenced by touch-like stimuli. In own experiments jointly performed at the State Horticulture College and Research Station in Heidelberg, Germany, the application of a regularly applied air stimuli significantly reduced plant height by 24% in bellflower (Campanula ‘Merrybell’) compared to the control. In a subsequent practical trial at a local horticulture company (Fleischle GbR, Vaihingen Ensingen, Germany) plant height of creeping inchplant (Callisia repens) was significantly reduced by 20% on average compared to the control. In both experiments, a compressor generated the air stream which was then applied to the plant stand through custom-built stainless-steel nozzles (air pressure module). In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum ‘Romello’), air streams applied by the ‘air knife’ module, the ‘360° rotor’ module, or the ‘air pressure’ module resulted in a reduction in plant height of 26%, 33%, and 36% compared to the control, respectively. The air stream guided into the air knife module was applied by an aperture slot, which could be adjusted between 1 and 5 mm, while the air stream guided into the 360° rotor module was applied via two 360° rotating PVC tubes that were inserted on the bottom of a rectangular aluminium box. It turned out, that the air outlet velocity along the aperture slot of the air knife module was highly variable. Consequently, the stimulus intensity perceived by individual experimental plants was unequal. A multiple regression analysis clearly showed that the maximum air velocity explained the variability in plant height reduction by air streams generated with the air knife module best, while the stimulus duration and the cumulative air velocity were less relevant. Plant height reduction by air stream generated with the 360° rotor module was most homogenous compared to the other prototypes. Therefore, a subsequent series of experiments at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany, was carried out with the most promising prototype, the 360° rotor. No systematic dose-response relationship related to increasing application frequencies of 8, 24, 40, 56, 72, and 80 d-1 was found, confirming previous findings that the plants do not integrate the mechanical stimulus over time. In contrast, plant height reduction was significantly influenced by the air stream velocity. A sigmoidal dose-response relationship was fitted to the data and showed negligible effects on tomato plant height reduction between 0.7 m s-1 and 2.0 m s-1, followed by a steep increase in the reduction effect up to 4.7 m s-1 and a fading of the effect at 36 % reduction for air velocities beyond that. With the optimised settings for daily application frequency and air velocity, another experiment was conducted focusing on the effect of air stream application on phenotypic and physiological responses in tomato. Air stream application resulted in a gradual reduction of total leaf area by 14% on day 14 after treatment start, and radial growth was promoted relative to internode elongation compared to the untreated control, resulting in a more compact and stable plant phenotype. Air stream-treated plants translocated proportionally more assimilates to leaves and stems, at the expense of dry matter accumulation to petioles. The reduction in total leaf area was compensated by an increased leaf density, accompanied by a higher leaf green intensity and consequently by an average 8% increase in net CO2 assimilation rates compared to the control. Thus, air stream-treated plants partially sustained total biomass accumulation at the same level as compared to the control.
Operating strategy to reduce the energy consumption of flat-panel airlift photobioreactors with respect to mixing of thermosynechococcus elongatus suspension cultures : light-specific adaptation of the superficial gas velocity
(2018) Bergmann, Peter; Trösch, Walter
Photoautotrophic microalgae mass production is limited by light availability due to effects of absorption and reflection, especially throughout outdoor cultivation prohibiting the adjustment of photon-flux density (PFD). Generating turbulence within the cultures in order to minimize photolimiting and photoinhibitive effects is the method of choice to overcome that obstacle. Then again, energy required for its generation represents one of the major drivers contributing to overall production costs of microalgae biotechnology. The present work describes the development of an advanced operating strategy for the mixing of flat-panel airlift loop photobioreactors (FPA-PBRs) that through its application decreases the specific energy consumption, thus the energy requirement per unit of biomass produced, when cultivating phototrophic microorganisms. Experiments were carried out with the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1 utilizing distinct FPA-PBRs equipped with culture-flow directing installations and illuminated by high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps. In the first paper, the impact of utilizing respective FPA-PBRs is investigated. Preliminary experiments were performed in order to eliminate any limitations beyond the sphere of influence of photobioreactor (PBR) design. Apart from the NO3- concentration which had to be retained at 2000 mg L-1 to sustain non-limited growth, special attention was paid to the administration of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), inter alia in the form of hydrogen carbonate as CO2 gas solubility was limited by the applied cultivation temperature of 55°C. It is for this reason, in conjunction with a short residence time of the CO2-enriched air bubbles that an increase in CO2 concentration showed only minor effects compared to increasing carbonate concentration that directly correlated to maximum productivity attaining 2.9 gDW L-1 d-1, the highest to be reported for T. elongatus BP-1, using 0.04 g L-1 Na2CO3. When comparing PBRs with and without culture flow directing installations, e.g. static mixers, it was found that the former outperformed the latter as an increase in maximum volumetric productivity and final biomass concentration by a factor of 3.4 and 2.0 was recorded, respectively, whilst the energy input in the form of superficial gas velocity remained unchanged. The enhanced growth performance was attributed to improved specific light availability due to the formation of eddies within cultures induced by static mixers. Thereby, light dependent downregulation of quantum-yield and respiratory losses were reduced, ultimately allowing for a more efficient photon-utilization towards assimilatory photochemistry when compared to randomly mixed cultures. In the second study, the joined impact of PFD, biomass concentration and superficial gas velocity is investigated and an operating strategy for FPA-PBRs deduced. Preliminary experiments were performed in order to establish a modified photosynthesis irradiance (PI) curve at default mixing settings which defined the light compensation point and the irradiance of saturation with 100 μmol m-2 s-1 and 400 μmol m-2 s-1, respectively. Cultivations were then performed at sub-, quasi-, and supra-saturating PFDs (180 .. 780 μmol m-2 s-1) utilizing multiple gas flow velocities (0.11 .. 0.83 vvm). It was found that at a given velocity, productivity and final biomass concentration increased with increasing PFD. Moreover, it was found that in comparison with default mixing settings, the superficial gas velocity during sub-saturating PFD and/or biomass concentrations < 3 gDW L-1 can be reduced to cut operational expenditures (OPEX) on mixing, whilst an increase during supra-saturating PFD and/or higher biomass concentrations enhances productivity and final biomass yield. An operating strategy based on the PFD-triggered adjustment of the superficial gas velocity is proposed and results were mathematically translated to exemplary outdoor diurnal cycles of PFD. By applying the strategy on sunny days, productivity is increased by 24%, while reducing not only energy input but also CO2-demand by 11%. On cloudy days, productivity is only slightly increased but energy input and CO2-demand reduced by 37%. Consequently, the specific energy requirement of FPA-PBRs when cultivating phototrophic microorganisms is reduced significantly, especially at locations with only stochastic light supply, e.g. in temperate latitudes.
Photosynthesis, quantum requirements, and energy demand for crop production in controlled environments
(2020) Schmierer, Marc; Asch, Folkard
In this work, energy costs for LED (light emitting diodes) lighting of a virtual plant stand exhibiting C3photosynthesis have been calculated via a model considering the quantum demand to build-up dry matter and energy efficiency of state-of-the art LEDs. Optimistic and pessimistic scenarios have been calculated by taking into account uncertainties regarding the H+/ATP stoichiometry of photosynthesis and different management strategies for indoor plant production. Energy costs were between 265 and 606 kWh for a production cycle ranging over 100 days and resulting in 2500 g dry matter per square meter for the optimistic and the pessimistic scenario respectively. The conversion efficiencies from electrical energy to energy bound in phytomass at the end of the production cycle were 2.07 % and 4.72 % (pessimistic and optimistic scenario, respectively). This was lower than the theoretical maximum values calculated for C3 plants that are given as 9.5 % in the literature. However, when the losses that occur during the conversion from electrical energy to light energy were excluded and only the efficiency of the conversion from incident light energy to phyto-energy was calculated, values increased to 4.0 and 9.1 %. The differences between the optimistic and the pessimistic scenario was caused by decreased photorespiration via carbon dioxide fertilization, which increased the conversion efficiencies by 38 %, followed by different assumptions about the H+ requirement for ATP production (34 %) and an increased rate of active absorption of light energy (24 %). Considering cumulative as well as feedback effects of all of the mentioned parameters, the conversion efficiency in the optimistic scenario was 2.3 times higher than in the pessimistic scenario. A system for measuring gas-exchange of whole plants or plant stands was developed in order to be able to investigate and improve the above mentioned management strategies in the future. CO2 sensors and temperature and humidity sensors were used to detect water loss and CO2. Readily available off-the-shelf electronic and mechanical materials were used in order to build a low-cost system that can be used in high throughput experiments. The results indicate that around 90 % of the transpirational water was detected by the system. We conclude that parts of the transpirational water condensed on the surfaces thus not leaving the chamber. When checking the accuracy of the H2O and CO2 sensors using an industry quality infrared gas analyser (IRGA), we found significant deviations from the values given by the IRGA and used this data for calibration of the CO2 sensors. The responses of the CO2-sensors were also linearly coupled to the H2O concentrations (about -0.1 % ppm CO2 / ppm H2O). A regression analysis was performed and the coefficients were used to correct the sensor readings. Since LEDs exhibit a higher energy-to-light ratio when operated at lower light levels, we tested a very small growing gibberellin (GA) deficient super dwarf rice genotype in a climate chamber experiment under different illumination levels and different levels of nitrogen supply to assess its suitability for crop production in artificial environments. A 25 % reduction in illumination lead to a 75 % reduction in yield, mainly due to a 60 % reduction in formed tillers and 20 % reduction in kernel weight, and an 80 % reduction in illumination caused total yield loss. Whereas leaf area under reduced illumination was significantly lower, only marginal changes in the dimensions of single leaves were observed. Photosynthesis at growing light conditions was not different between control plants and plants under 75 % illumination. This was explained by a higher photochemical efficiency under lower light conditions and a reduced mesophyll resistance. Therefore, we conclude that this genotype is an interesting candidate for crop production in vertical plant production systems, especially because of its short stature and the absence of shade avoidance mechanisms, such as leaf elongation, that would complicate production in small-height growing racks under low-light conditions. Nitrogen concentrations of 2.8 and 1.4 mmol L-1 in the nutrient solution lead to no differences in plant growth. We conclude that a nitrogen concentration of 1.4 mmol L-1 is sufficient for this genotype under the light intensities that were applied here. A software tool for simulations of photosynthesis in the python programming language was developed. The software implements a classical Farquhar-von CaemmererBerry (FvCB) model of leaf photosynthesis coupled with a model for the estimation of stomatal behaviour dependent on environmental conditions. We want to emphasize that the use of such models is essential to understand the complex interactions between plant growth, leaf photosynthesis and the environment. Knowledge on those relationships is the key to improve the efficiency of plant production in controlled environments.
Physiological and growth responses of Jatropha curca L. to water, nitrogen and salt stresses
(2012) Rajaona, Arisoa Mampionona; Asch, Folkard
This thesis provides necessary and complementary information for an improved understanding of jatropha growth to guide further research to evaluate the response of jatropha to abiotic stressors and for designing plantations adapted to the plants? requirements. Given the fact that jatropha is claimed to grow on marginal lands, we studied effects of water supply, salt stress, nitrogen and air humidity as major abiotic stressors on gas exchange parameters and biomass production followed by management options for pruning the trees to positively influence biomass productivity and to contribute to optimize resource use. The effects of water availability (rainfed versus irrigated) on growth and gas exchange parameters were investigated for 4-year old jatropha grown in a semi-arid environment at a plantation site in Madagascar in 2010. The results confirmed that 1250 mm water in addition to a 500 mm rainfall did not affect biomass production and instantaneous gas exchange. Nevertheless, leaf light responses of irrigated plants were higher than that of rainfed plants. The study showed to what extent salt stress affected water use, canopy water vapour conductance, leaf growth and Na and K concentrations of leaves of 3-year old and young jatropha plants. 3-year old plants were exposed to seven salt levels (0-300 mmol NaCl L-1) during 20 days and young plants to five salt levels (0-200 mmol NaCl L-1) during 6 days. In both experiments, plants responded rapidly to salt stress by reducing water loss. The threshold value of responses was between 0 and 5 dS m-1. Leaf area increment of young jatropha had a threshold value of 5 dS m-1 implying that jatropha is sensitive to external salt application in terms of canopy development, conductance and CO2 assimilation rate. Transpiration of plants in both experiments was reduced to 55% at EC values between 11 and 12 dS m-1 as compared to non-stressed plants. These findings indicate that jatropha responds sensitive to salt stress in terms of leaf elongation rate and consequently canopy development, and to immediate physiological responses. Leaf gas exchange characteristics of jatropha as affected by nitrogen supply and leaf age were intensively studied, as carbon assimilation is one of the central processes of plant growth and consequently a key process embedded in modelling approaches of plant productivity. This study showed that N supply effects on leaf gas exchange of jatropha leaves were small with only the treatment without nitrogen resulting in lower rates of CO2 assimilation rate and light saturated CO2 assimilation rate, nevertheless, effects of N supply on biomass formation were pronounced. Instantaneous rates of leaf gas exchange of different leaves subject to variable air humidity (atmospheric vapour pressure deficit (VPD)) were investigated. This study showed that CO2 assimilation rate (A) and stomatal conductance (gs) were correlated in a hyperbolic fashion, and that gs declined with increasing VPD. Maximal stomatal conductance of jatropha was in the range of 382 mmol m-2 s-1 and gs is predicted to be close to zero at 6 kPa. Effects of VPD, via stomatal conductance, by preventing high transpiration rates, have been demonstrated to be decisive on water use efficiency. Our findings are in this regard relevant for the estimation of water use efficiency of jatropha. The outcome further indicates favourable conditions at which stomatal opening is high and thereby allowing for biomass formation. This information should be considered in approaches which aim at quantifying leaf activity of field-grown bushes which are characterized by spatially highly diverse conditions in terms of microclimatic parameters. Microclimatic parameters can be modified by the tree structure. The reported field experiment on 4-year old jatropha indicated that the biomass production and canopy size depended mainly on primary branch length. A comparison of plants of different pruning types with regard to trunk height (43 versus 29 cm) and total length of primary branches (171 versus 310 cm), suggest that higher biomass production and greater leaf area projection was realized by trees with short trunks and long primary branches. Growth of twigs and leaves was positively correlated with total length of branches. Relative dry mass allocation to branches, twigs and leaves, length of twigs per cm of branches and specific leaf area were not affected by pruning and water supply. Trees with shorter branches had a higher leaf area density. As opposed to an allometric relationship between the average diameter of primary branches and total above ground biomass, our data suggest that these traits were not constantly correlated. Our data indicate that the length of newly formed twigs, where the leaves are attached to, can be related to the total length of already established branches. Leaf area density and relative dry mass allocation to leaves were not affected by the two pruning techniques, indicating that pruning differences in leaf area size were proportionally converted to corresponding pruning differences in the canopy volume exploited by plants. The results reported in this study are relevant for understanding jatropha growth. It helps farmers first for a better plantation management and researchers as well as contribution to future modelling purpose concerning jatropha growth under variable climatic conditions. Additionally, it should complement information for a better set of priorities in research, contribute indirectly to breeding programs and adjust agricultural policies in terms of encountering global change.
Translocation and storage of chloride in chlorine-stressed maize (Zea mays L.)
(2020) Zhang, Xudong; Zörb, Christian
Maize (Zea mays L.) is a moderately salt-sensitive species, its sensitivity to NaCl being mainly associated with the accretion of toxic sodium in shoots for example leading to the sodium-induced damage of leaf chloroplasts. However, less attention has been paid to the effects of chloride (Cl-). The work described in this dissertation therefore aims at elucidating the physiological adaptations of maize plants to Cl- salinity. It involves four research questions: 1) how do sensitive maize plants respond to Cl- salinity with regard to crop yield and plant performance; 2) how are the translocation and tissue storage patterns of Cl- correlated with tolerance to Cl- salinity; 3) how do osmotic stress and Cl- stress impact biomass, chlorophyll content, and nitrate reductase activity (NRA); 4) does sensitivity to Cl- salinity differ between maize and faba bean plants? Soil pot experiments and hydroponic culture experiments in the greenhouse have shown that maize is able to withstand Cl- salinity by being a shoot excluder. The relevant genotypic difference is believed to be based on its ability to undertake Cl- root-to-shoot translocation. The resistance mechanism of the genotype ES-metronom, which is a more Cl- -tolerant variety, has been attributed to its more efficient shoot exclusion of Cl-,whereas that of the genotype P8589, which is a more Cl- -sensitive variety has been ascribed to the preferable sequestration of Cl- away from the young photosynthetic tissues, such as into old leaf blades, and Cl- movement in roots possibly to achieve Cl- dilution. In the mildly tolerant genotype LG30215, osmotic stress does not interfere with NRA but slows down mass flow, which probably reduces NO3- transport to leaf tissues, whereas excess Cl- indirectly inhibits NRA through the antagonistic limitation of NO3- uptake. In comparison with maize, faba bean plants are more sensitive to Cl- salinity rather than to sodium toxicity.