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Effects of water stress and fertilization on leaf gas exchange and photosynthetic light-response curves of Bothriochloa ischaemum L.

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

Bothriochloa ischaemum L. is an important species in many temperate regions, but information about the interactive effects of water stress and fertilization on its photosynthetic characteristics was inadequate. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of three water [80% (HW), 40% (MW), and 20% (LW) of field capacity (FC)] and four fertilization regimes [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), nitrogen with phosphorus (NP), and no fertilization] on leaf photosynthesis. Leaf gas exchange and photosynthetic light-response curves were measured at the flowering phase of B. ischaemum. Water stress decreased not only the leaf gas-exchange parameters, such as net photosynthetic rate (P N), stomatal conductance (g s), transpiration rate (E), and water-use efficiency (WUE) of B. ischaemum, but also downregulated P N-photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) curve parameters, such as light-saturated net photosynthetic rate (P Nmax), apparent quantum efficiency (AQE), and light compensation point (LCP). Fertilization (N, P, and NP) enhanced the daily mean P N values and P Nmax under the HW regime. Addition of N (either alone or with P) improved the photosynthetic capacity of B. ischaemum under the MW and LW regimes by increasing P N, P Nmax, and AQE and reducing dark respiration rate and LCP, but the addition of P alone did not significantly improve the photosynthetic performance. Decline in P N under each fertilization regime occurred during the day and it was caused mainly by nonstomatal limitation. Our results indicated that water was the primary limiting factor for photosynthesis in B. ischaemum, and that appropriate levels of N fertilization improved its potential photosynthetic capacity under water-deficit conditions.

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Abbreviations

AQE:

apparent quantum efficiency

C a :

ambient CO2 concentration

C i :

intercellular CO2 concentration

CK:

no fertilization (control)

E :

transpiration rate

FC:

field capacity

g s :

stomatal conductance

HW:

80% of field capacity

LCP:

light compensation point

Ls :

stomatal limitation value

LSP:

light saturation point

LW:

40% of field capacity

MW:

60% of field capacity

N:

nitrogen

NP:

nitrogen with phosphorus

P:

phosphorus

PAR:

photosynthetically active radiation

P N :

net photosynthetic rate

P Nmax :

light-saturated net photosynthetic rate

R D :

dark respiration rate

RH:

relative humidity

SD:

standard deviation

TAIR :

air temperature

TLEAF :

leaf temperature

VPD:

vapour pressure deficit

WUE:

water-use efficiency

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China

    W. Z. Xu, X. P. Deng & B. C. Xu

  2. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China

    X. P. Deng & B. C. Xu

Authors
  1. W. Z. Xu
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  2. X. P. Deng
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  3. B. C. Xu
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Correspondence to B. C. Xu.

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Acknowledgements: We are grateful to the reviewers and editors for their valuable comments on an early draft of the manuscript. Thanks are also given to Messrs Furong Niu and Dongpin Duan for their kind assistance during the experiment. This research was financially supported by the Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YW-QN412), National Science Foundation of China (41071339), Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NECT-11-0444) and “111” Project (B12007).

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Xu, W.Z., Deng, X.P. & Xu, B.C. Effects of water stress and fertilization on leaf gas exchange and photosynthetic light-response curves of Bothriochloa ischaemum L.. Photosynthetica 51, 603–612 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-013-0061-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-013-0061-y

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