A respiration based description of plant growth rate responses to temperature

Abstract

The temperature dependence of metabolic rates determines how plant growth rates vary with temperature. This paper shows that equations on physiological relations between respiration rates (i.e. rates of heat loss and CO 2 evolution) and growth rates can be used to describe temperature effects on plant growth rate. Incorporating measured values of plant respiratory heat and CO 2 rates at a few temperatures into the equations allows description of growth rates as a function of temperature and provides a physiological basis for understanding the effects of temperature on growth rate. The paper presents data on cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. Capitata) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Miller cv. Ace) as model cool-climate and warm-climate cultivars to illustrate application of the methods in determining optimal growth climates for different cultivars, accessions, and ecotypes. The respiration-based calculations of growth rate vs. temperature yield curves for both species that are consistent with known temperature-growth requirements. We conclude that plant responses to temperature can be accurately predicted in detail from respiration rate measurements and the growth-respiration model. These studies demonstrate that the temperature dependence of growth rates is a function of the temperature dependencies of both metabolic rates and metabolic efficiency, which change continuously with temperature. The ultimate cause of high-and low-temperature growth limits is commonly not membrane phase transitions or enzyme denaturation as has been supposed, but is loss of substrate carbon conversion efficiency. The results show that ''plant temperature stress'' has been misunderstood and must be redefined because there is no ''nonstressfull temperature''.Abbreviations and symbols: R CO2 = rate of CO 2 production; R sq = specific mass-growth rate; q = metallic heat rate (rate of energy loss; p = mean chemical oxidation state of the substrate carbon; ∆H B = enthalpy change for the formation of biomass from photosynthat and minerals; = substrate carbon conversion efficiency Correspondence to: B.N. Smith;

Temperature-dependent alterations of respiration in leaves of two selected vascular plant species: the role of the alternative oxidase pathway

“…By increase in temperature, temperature coefficient (Q 10 ) decreased from 2.2. to 1.5 in the leaves of A. reptans and from 2.2 to 1.6 in the leaves of R. rosea. Exponential behaviour of the respiration curves obtained can be considered as an evidence of a general absence of a profound stress in A. reptans and R. rosea in the temperature range studied (CRIDDLE et al, 1997). These facts correspond well with the actual knowledge concerning general dependence of respiration on temperature (e.g.…”

Effect of Root-zone Heating on Root Growth and Activity, Nutrient Uptake, and Fruit Yield of Tomato at Low Air Temperatures

“…Fruit development is also inhibited below a daily mean air temperature of 14°C (Adams et al, 2001), and no vegetative growth is expected below 12°C (Criddle et al, 1997). Under low air temperatures at night, leaf area expansion and plant growth are also restricted (Smeets and Garretsen, 1986).…”

“…For greenhouse tomato production in winter, a heating system is used to avoid the growth inhibition (Criddle et al, 1997;Hoek et al, 1993;Smeets and Garretsen, 1986) and decreased yield (Adams et al, 2001) caused by low temperatures. However, heating cost has become expensive due to soaring fossil fuel prices in recent years.…”

Leaf Gas Exchange, Photon Capture and Light Harvest in Aldina heterophylla along a Vegetation Gradient in the Amazon Rainforest

“…The increase of irradiance and temperature are indicated as the main factors to increase the R d [49]- [53]. Other work that associated R d with light and temperature availability was conducted in contrasting vegetation types in Africa between tropical montane rain forest species and an open environmental vegetation species, similar to CP, that showed lower R d in rain forest than open vegetation types [3].…”