Photosynthesis and Respiration of Developing Soybean Pods

Abstract

Net CO₂ uptake by soybean pods in the light was much less and output in darkness much greater than from equal areas of leaves. The net photosynthesis decreased, becoming negative, and dark respiration increased as seed filling progressed. The photochemical efficiency was the same but the diffusive resistance of pods was about twice and the internal resistance two to three times those of leaves. Fluxes into open deseeded pods were initially much greater than into intact pods but drying out of the tissue soon led to fluxes only about three times greater.

From these measurements and light- and CO₂-response curves of intact pods, estimates of gross photosynthesis, photorespiration and dark respiration of seeds and hulls were made. These indicated that seed reassimilated slightly more CO₂ than they respired when young and about two-thirds thereof at a later stage. Hulls fixed about similar amounts but these were insufficient to prevent net effluxes from pods during the later stages of their development, even at irradiances of 190 W m^-2.

On a daily basis, direct uptake of CO₂ made a negligible contribution to the total import of dry weight by the pod; nevertheless, photosynthesis in the seeds and hulls refixed some 50-70% of the CO₂ respired by these tissues.