Research Articles

A feasible method for measuring photosynthesis in vitro for major tree species in northeastern China

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  • College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China

Received date: 2010-06-22

  Accepted date: 2011-01-18

  Online published: 2011-04-13

Abstract

Aims Tree leaf photosynthesis is often difficult to measure in situ because of the physical inaccessibility of the tree canopy. One simple, inexpensive solution is to measure photosynthesis in vitro, but its validity and reliability for specific tree species need verification. Our goals were to determine (a) which in vitro measurement methods would result in detached leaves maintaining as high photosynthetic activity as in situ, (b) how long the photosynthetic activity of detached leaves can be sustained and (c) the reliability and feasibility of in vitro measurements.
Methods We selected seven major tree species with divergent ecophysiological characteristics in the temperate forest of northeastern China: coniferous (Pinus koraiensis and Larix olgensis), diffuse-porous (Betula platyphylla and Juglans mandshurica) and ring-porous (Fraxinus mandshurica, Ulmus macrocarpa and Quercus mongolica) species. We used the time for the photosynthetic rate to recover 90% of its pre-photoinducement value (T90) and leaf transpiration rate (E) to assess the water supply and photosynthetic activity of detached leaves. Based on this, we determined an optimal in vitro protocol for measuring photosynthesis of detached leaves. We simultaneously monitored the duration of relatively stable photosynthetic rates after leaves had been detached. We then compared the differences in gas exchange parameters between in situ and in vitro measurements with the chosen protocol to determine the reliability of the protocol for each tree species.
Important findings The detached leaves of all measured tree species except for Q. mongolica had the potential to maintain relatively high, stable water supply and photosynthetic activity. The optimal protocol of in vitro photosynthesis measurements for the other six tree species was to insert the twigs or compound leaves into water immediately following detaching, girdle phloem about 3 cm from the cut and remove all leaves except the target ones. T90 differed significantly among the six tree species (p < 0.05), and the ring-porous tree species had significantly greater T90 than the other species. The leaf water supply and photosynthetic activity for the six species was effectively maintained for one hour following detachment, during which most of the gas exchange parameters measured did not differ significantly between in situ and in vitro measurements. Therefore, this study provided a feasible protocol of in vitro measurement of leaf photosynthesis for the six temperate tree species.

Cite this article

TANG Yan, WANG Chuan-Kuan . A feasible method for measuring photosynthesis in vitro for major tree species in northeastern China[J]. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 2011 , 35(4) : 452 -462 . DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1258.2011.00452

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