Potatoes as a Crop for Space Life Support: Effect of CO2, Irradiance, and Photoperiod on Leaf Photosynthesis and Stomatal Conductance

Abstract

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) have been suggested as a candidate crop for future space missions, based on their high yields of nutritious tubers and high harvest index. Three cultivars of potato, cvs. Norland, Russet Burbank, and Denali were grown in walk-in growth rooms at 400 and 800 µmol m −2 s −1 photosynthetic photon flux (PPF), 12-h L/12h D and 24-h L/0 h D photoperiods, and 350 and 1,000 ppm [CO 2 ]. Net photosynthetic rates (P net) and stomatal conductance (g s) of upper canopy leaves were measured at weekly intervals from 3 through 12 weeks after planting. Increased PPF resulted in increased P net rates at both [CO 2 ] levels and both photoperiods, but the effect was most pronounced under the 12-h photoperiod. Increased [CO 2 ] increased P net for both PPFs under the 12-h photoperiod, but decreased P net under the 24-h photoperiod. Increased PPF increased g s for both [CO 2 ] levels and both photoperiods. Increased [CO 2 ] decreased g s for both PPFs for the 12-h photoperiod, but caused only a slight decrease under the 24-h photoperiod. Leaf P net rates were highest with high PPF (800), elevated [CO 2 ] (1,000), and a 12-h photoperiod, while growing the plants under continuous (24-h) light resulted in lower leaf photosynthetic rates for all combinations of PPF and [CO 2 ]. The responses of leaf photosynthetic rates are generally consistent with prior published data on the plant biomass from these same studies (Wheeler et al., Crop Sci. 1991) and suggest that giving more light with a 24-h photoperiod can increase biomass in some cases, but the leaf P net and overall photosynthetic efficiency drops.

Site-Specific Evaluation of Canopy Resistance Models for Estimating Evapotranspiration over a Drip-Irrigated Potato Crop in Southern Chile under Water-Limited Conditions

“…Thus, there was a physiological response with a clear differentiation of the values 𝑟 and 𝑔 for the irrigation levels applied in this study, reaching a maximum difference between 14:00 and 18:00 on a potato crop [74]. Additionally, these 𝑔 differentations were observed in potato leaves grown under a 12 h light and 12 h dark photoperiod at 350 ppm of 𝐶𝑂 by Wheeler et al [75]. In this case, the plants were grown at either 400 or 800 μmol m −2 s −1 photosynthetic photon flux (PPF).…”

Wheat Line “RYNO3936” Is Associated With Delayed Water Stress-Induced Leaf Senescence and Rapid Water-Deficit Stress Recovery

“…It is well understood that chlorophyll fluorescence and stomatal conductance are intrinsically coupled under a wide range of environmental conditions (i.e., soil moisture). However, different crop species such as tomatoes, kidney beans, potatoes, rice, and wheat manage the intrinsic relationship differently (Miyashita et al, 2005;Yuan et al, 2015;Ouyang et al, 2017;Wheeler et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2020). Generally, studies suggest that water deficit stress induces a reduction in photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, consequently, restricts the availability of CO2 for carboxylation (Ehonen et al, 2019).…”

Modelling physical processes in higher plants using leaf replicas for space applications

“…For example, small light or wind gradient can result in different stomatal densities between the leaves of a single plant. Moreover, the opening and closing of stomata is closely related to the time of day and to weather conditions [25,50].…”