Stomata control gaseous fluxes between the internal leaf air spaces and the external atmosphere. Guard cells determine stomatal aperture and must operate to ensure an appropriate balance between CO2 uptake for photosynthesis (A) and water loss, and ultimately plant water use efficiency (WUE). A strong correlation between A and stomatal conductance (gs ) is well documented and often observed, bu...

To identify the effect of nitrogen (N) nutrition on photosynthetic efficiency and mesophyll conductance of rice seedlings (Oryza sativa L., cv. 'Shanyou 63' hybrid indica China), hydroponic experiments with different concentrations of N were conducted in a greenhouse. Although leaf N concentration on a dry mass basis increased with increasing supply of N, no significant differences in seedling ...

Leaf photosynthesis is known to acclimate to the actual irradiance received by the different layers of a canopy. This acclimation is usually described in terms of changes in leaf structure, and in photosynthetic capacity. Photosynthetic capacity is likely to be affected by mesophyll conductance to CO(2) which has seldom been assessed in tree species, and whose plasticity in response to local ir...

We described advection and diffusion of water isotopologues in leaves in the non-steady state, applied specifically to amphistomatous leaves. This explains the isotopic enrichment of leaf water from the xylem to the mesophyll, and we showed how it relates to earlier models of leaf water enrichment in non-steady state. The effective length or tortuosity factor of isotopologue movement in leaves ...

One mechanism to enhance global food stocks radically is to introduce C4 photosynthesis into C3 crops from warm climates, notably rice. To accomplish this, an understanding of leaf structure and function is essential. The chlorenchyma structure of rice and related warm-climate C3 grasses is distinct from that of cool temperate C3 grasses. In temperate C3 grasses, vacuoles occupy the majority of...

Increases in rates of individual leaf photosynthesis (P n) are critical for future increases of rice yields. A previous study, using introgression lines derived from a cross between indica cultivar Habataki, with one of the highest recorded values of P n, and the Japanese elite cultivar Koshihikari, identified four QTLs (qCAR4, qCAR5, qCAR8, and qCAR11) that affect P n. The present study examin...