Net Carbon Exchange Rates of Field-Grown Crops in Relation to Irradiance and Dry Weight Accumulation

Abstract

A range of summer and winter vegetable crops has been grown under favourable conditions, and the relation between net carbon exchange and irradiance determined at several stages of growth, using large field assimilation chambers and semi-closed gas analysis systems. For all crops, leaf area index was an important determinant of net carbon exchange rate during early stages of growth, and rates increased markedly from day to day during the period of rapid vegetative development. Except for cauliflower and cucumber, for which leaf area ceased to be so important as the crops developed, maximum rates of CO₂ uptake were achieved at maximum leaf areas, and were in excess of 90 mg CO₂ dm^-2 (ground area) h^-1 for sweet corn, about 64 for rockmelon, 50 for broad bean, cauliflower and cabbage, and 45 mg dm^-2 h^-1 for cucumber. For both rockmelon and cucumber, net carbon exchange rates in the morning were often greater than those at the same irradiances in the afternoon, which suggests partial stomatal closure at about midday. In all crops, variations in temperature of up to 10°C either side of the ambient temperature, imposed at any time during the day, generally had little effect on negative CO₂ flux (uptake), but positive CO₂ flux at night was strongly influenced by temperature. In cucurbits uptake was reduced at temperatures above 35°C, but rapidly recovered when the temperature was again lowered. High growth rates were achieved by all crops for most months of the year, and the efficiency of utilization of incident energy was also high compared with other reported values. However, growth rates were not related to the maximum rates of CO₂ uptake in the day, for net carbon exchange over each 24 h depended also on factors such as the ratio between day- and nightlength and night temperatures.