Abstract
Light intensity influences the gas exchange characteristics of plants. In this paper, the effect of light intensity on the gas exchange characteristics of Melothria pendula was studied. The gas exchange of sun exposed and shaded species were studied using a portable photosynthesis system. Light response and carbon dioxide (CO2) response curves were fitted, and the gas exchange characteristics were derived from the fitted curves. The results indicate that light saturation point (LSP), light compensation point (LCP), maximum assimilation (Amax), maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax) and maximum electron transport (Jmax) were higher in sun exposed species compared to shaded species (P < 0.05). The findings lead to a conclusion that M. pendula species can differ in their gas exchange characteristics depending on the level of light and CO2 received by the plants.
Export citation and abstract BibTeX RIS
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.