Photosynthetica 2024, 62(2):158-167 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2024.015

Gas exchange and time to reach maximum rate of photosynthetic rateand their relationship with whole-plant traits in sugarcane in water abundant Louisiana, USA

P.Z. ELLSWORTH, P.M. WHITE Jr., J. TODD
USDA-ARS Sugarcane Research Unit, 70360 Houma, LA, USA

Variety development of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) is necessary to continue improving sugar yields and selecting photosynthetic traits can improve sugar production through increased carbon inputs. In this study, gas exchange and whole-plant measurements were made on 55 sugarcane genotypes in Louisiana. Variation in the relationship between photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance suggests that sugarcane exhibits variation in both photosynthetic capacity and CO2 substrate availability. Genotypes that reached maximum photosynthetic rate (TRMPR) in the gas-exchange cuvette more quickly had greater CO2 assimilation during transitory periods. Temporary shading and fluctuating light are common transitory conditions in the field, so increasing TRMPR can improve photosynthesis in water-abundant regions. Canopy leaf area was positively correlated with stalk mass, but gas-exchange traits were not correlated with whole-plant traits. A better understanding of the relationship between leaf and whole-plant traits is necessary to identify physiological traits that lead to increased genetic gain.

Additional key words: gas exchange; phenotyping; photosynthesis; stomatal conductance; stomatal propensity to remain open; sugarcane.

Received: September 20, 2023; Revised: January 29, 2024; Accepted: March 5, 2024; Prepublished online: March 20, 2024; Published: June 27, 2024  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
ELLSWORTH, P.Z., WHITE, P.M., & TODD, J. (2024). Gas exchange and time to reach maximum rate of photosynthetic rateand their relationship with whole-plant traits in sugarcane in water abundant Louisiana, USA. Photosynthetica, 62(2), 158-167. doi: 10.32615/ps.2024.015
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    Supplementary files

    Download fileEllsworth_3064_supplement.docx

    File size: 50.15 kB

    References

    1. Allison J.C.S., Pammenter N.W., Haslam R.J.: Why does sugarcane (Saccharum sp. hybrid) grow slowly? - S. Afr. J. Bot. 73: 546-551, 2007. Go to original source...
    2. Araus J.L., Kefauver S.C., Zaman-Allah M. et al.: Translating high-throughput phenotyping into genetic gain. - Trends Plant Sci. 23: 451-466, 2018. Go to original source...
    3. Araus J.L., Li J., Parry M.A.J., Wang J.: Phenotyping and other breeding approaches for a New Green Revolution. - J. Integr. Plant Biol. 56: 422-424, 2014. Go to original source...
    4. ASCL: The Louisiana Sugar Industry - American Sugar Cane League, 2023. Available at: https://www.amscl.org/about-the-league/.
    5. Brodribb T.J., McAdam S.A.M., Jordan G.J., Feild T.S.: Evolution of stomatal responsiveness to CO2 and optimization of water-use efficiency among land plants. - New Phytol. 183: 839-847, 2009. Go to original source...
    6. Condon A.G.: Drying times: plant traits to improve crop water use efficiency and yield. - J. Exp. Bot. 71: 2239-2252, 2020. Go to original source...
    7. Dias H.B., Inman-Bamber G., Everingham Y. et al.: Traits for canopy development and light interception by twenty-seven Brazilian sugarcane varieties. - Field Crop. Res. 249: 107716, 2020. Go to original source...
    8. Dohleman F.G., Long S.P.: More productive than maize in the Midwest: how does Miscanthus do it? - Plant Physiol. 150: 2104-2115, 2009. Go to original source...
    9. Ellsworth P.Z., Ellsworth P.V., Cousins A.B.: Relationship of leaf oxygen and carbon isotopic composition with transpiration efficiency in the C4 grasses Setaria viridis and Setaria italica. -J. Exp. Bot. 68: 3513-3528, 2017. Go to original source...
    10. Ellsworth P.Z., Feldman M.J., Baxter I., Cousins A.B.: A genetic link between whole-plant water use efficiency and leaf carbon isotope composition in the C4 grass Setaria. - Plant J. 102: 1234-1248, 2020. Go to original source...
    11. Ellsworth P.Z., White Jr. P.M.: Row spacing and the use of plant-available water in sugarcane cultivation in water-abundant Louisiana. - Agronomy 12: 1586, 2022. Go to original source...
    12. Evans J.R.: Improving photosynthesis. - Plant Physiol. 162: 1780-1793, 2013. Go to original source...
    13. Farquhar G.D., Hubick K.T., Condon A.G., Richards R.A.: Carbon isotope fractionation and plant water-use efficiency. -In: Rundel P.W., Ehleringer J.R., Nagy K.A. (ed.): Stable Isotopes in Ecological Research. Pp. 21-40. Springer, New York 1989. Go to original source...
    14. Feldman M.J., Ellsworth P.Z., Fahlgren N. et al.: Components of water use efficiency have unique genetic signatures in the model C4 grass Setaria. - Plant Physiol. 178: 699-715, 2018. Go to original source...
    15. Ghannoum O.: How can we breed for more water use-efficient sugarcane? - J. Exp. Bot. 67: 557-559, 2016. Go to original source...
    16. Gravois K.A., Bischoff K.P., Pontif M.J. et al.: Registration of 'L 01-299' sugarcane. - J. Plant Regist. 5: 191-195, 2011. Go to original source...
    17. Hale A.L., Todd J.R., Gravois K.A. et al.: Sugarcane breeding programs in the USA. - Sugar Tech. 24: 97-111, 2022. Go to original source...
    18. Hoffman N., Singels A., Patton A., Ramburan S.: Predicting genotypic differences in irrigated sugarcane yield using the Canegro model and independent trait parameter estimates. - Eur. J. Agron. 96: 13-21, 2018. Go to original source...
    19. Inman-Bamber G.: Sugarcane yields and yield-limiting processes. - In: Moore P.H., Botha F.C. (ed.): Sugarcane: Physiology, Biochemistry, and Functional Biology. Pp. 579-600. John Wiley & Sons, Ames 2014. Go to original source...
    20. Inman-Bamber N.G., Jackson P.A., Hewitt M.: Sucrose accumulation in sugarcane stalks does not limit photosynthesis and biomass production. - Crop Pasture Sci. 62: 848-858, 2011. Go to original source...
    21. ISO: Sugar Sector - International Sugar Organization, 2023. Available at: https://www.isosugar.org/sugarsector/sugar.
    22. Jackson P., Basnayake J., Inman-Bamber G. et al.: Genetic variation in transpiration efficiency and relationships between whole plant and leaf gas exchange measurements in Saccharum spp. and related germplasm. - J. Exp. Bot. 67: 861-871, 2016. Go to original source...
    23. Kromdijk J., Ubierna N., Cousins A.B., Griffiths H.: Bundle-sheath leakiness in C4 photosynthesis: a careful balancing act between CO2 concentration and assimilation. - J. Exp. Bot. 65: 3443-3457, 2014. Go to original source...
    24. Lawson T., Blatt M.R.: Stomatal size, speed, and responsiveness impact on photosynthesis and water use efficiency. - Plant Physiol. 164: 1556-1570, 2014. Go to original source...
    25. Lawson T., Terashima I., Fujita T., Wang Y.: Coordination between photosynthesis and stomatal behavior. - In: Adams W.W., Terashima I. (ed.): The Leaf: A Platform for Performing Photosynthesis. Pp. 141-161. Springer, Cham 2018. Go to original source...
    26. Lawson T., Vialet-Chabrand S.: Speedy stomata, photosynthesis and plant water use efficiency. - New Phytol. 221: 93-98, 2019. Go to original source...
    27. Leakey A.D.B., Ferguson J.N., Pignon C.P. et al.: Water use efficiency as a constraint and target for improving the resilience and productivity of C3 and C4 crops. - Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 70: 781-808, 2019. Go to original source...
    28. Leakey A.D.B., Press M.C., Scholes J.D., Watling J.R.: Relative enhancement of photosynthesis and growth at elevated CO2 is greater under sunflecks than uniform irradiance in a tropical rain forest tree seedling. - Plant Cell Environ. 25: 1701-1714, 2002. Go to original source...
    29. Lefebvre S., Lawson T., Fryer M. et al.: Increased sedoheptulose-1,7-bisphosphatase activity in transgenic tobacco plants stimulates photosynthesis and growth from an early stage in development. - Plant Physiol. 138: 451-460, 2005. Go to original source...
    30. Li C., Jackson P., Lu X. et al.: Genotypic variation in transpiration efficiency due to differences in photosynthetic capacity among sugarcane-related clones. - J. Exp. Bot. 68: 2377-2385, 2017. Go to original source...
    31. Long S.P., Bernacchi C.J.: Gas exchange measurements, what can they tell us about the underlying limitations to photosynthesis? Procedures and sources of error. - J. Exp. Bot. 54: 2393-2401, 2003. Go to original source...
    32. Long S.P., Marshall-Colon A., Zhu X.-G.: Meeting the global food demand of the future by engineering crop photosynthesis and yield potential. - Cell 161: 56-66, 2015. Go to original source...
    33. Long S.P., Zhu X.-G., Naidu S.L., Ort D.R.: Can improvement in photosynthesis increase crop yields? - Plant Cell Environ. 29: 315-330, 2006. Go to original source...
    34. McAusland L., Vialet-Chabrand S., Davey P. et al.: Effects of kinetics of light-induced stomatal responses on photosynthesis and water-use efficiency. - New Phytol. 211: 1209-1220, 2016. Go to original source...
    35. McCormick A.J., Cramer M.D., Watt D.A.: Sink strength regulates photosynthesis in sugarcane. - New Phytol. 171: 759-770, 2006. Go to original source...
    36. McCormick A.J., Cramer M.D., Watt D.A.: Regulation of photosynthesis by sugars in sugarcane leaves. - J. Plant Physiol. 165: 1817-1829, 2008. Go to original source...
    37. McCormick A.J., Watt D.A., Cramer M.D.: Supply and demand: sink regulation of sugar accumulation in sugarcane. - J. Exp. Bot. 60: 357-364, 2009. Go to original source...
    38. Medrano H., Tomás M., Martorell S. et al.: From leaf to whole-plant water use efficiency (WUE) in complex canopies: Limitations of leaf WUE as a selection target. - Crop J. 3: 220-228, 2015. Go to original source...
    39. Meinzer F.C., Grantz D.A.: Stomatal and hydraulic conductance in growing sugarcane: stomatal adjustment to water transport capacity. - Plant Cell Environ. 13: 383-388, 1990. Go to original source...
    40. Ort D.R., Merchant S.S., Alric J. et al.: Redesigning photosynthesis to sustainably meet global food and bioenergy demand. - PNAS 112: 8529-8536, 2015. Go to original source...
    41. R Core Team: R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Version 4.3.1, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, 2021.
    42. Singels A., Jackson P., Inman-Bamber G.: Sugarcane. - In: Sadras V.O., Calderini D.F. (ed.): Crop Physiology: Case Histories for Major Crops. Pp. 674-713. Academic Press, London 2021. Go to original source...
    43. Sperry J.S.: Hydraulic constraints on plant gas exchange. - Agr. Forest Meteorol. 104: 13-23, 2000. Go to original source...
    44. Srinivasan V., Kumar P., Long S.P.: Decreasing, not increasing, leaf area will raise crop yields under global atmospheric change. - Glob. Change Biol. 23: 1626-1635, 2017. Go to original source...
    45. von Caemmerer S.: Biochemical Models of Leaf Photosynthesis. Pp. 165. Csiro Publishing, Collingwood 2000. Go to original source...
    46. von Caemmerer S., Farquhar G.D., Berry J.A.: Biochemical model of C3 photosynthesis. - In: Laisk A., Nedbal L., Govindjee (ed.): Photosynthesis in silico: Understanding Complexity from Molecules to Ecosystems. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration. Vol. 29. Pp. 209-230. Springer, Dordrecht 2009. Go to original source...
    47. von Caemmerer S., Furbank R.T.: The C4 pathway: an efficient CO2 pump. - Photosynth. Res. 77: 191-207, 2003. Go to original source...
    48. Wang Y., Chan K.X., Long S.P.: Towards a dynamic photosynthesis model to guide yield improvement in C4 crops. - Plant J. 107: 343-359, 2021. Go to original source...
    49. Yamori W., Kusumi K., Iba K., Terashima I.: Increased stomatal conductance induces rapid changes to photosynthetic rate in response to naturally fluctuating light conditions in rice. - Plant Cell Environ. 43: 1230-1240, 2020. Go to original source...
    50. Zhao D., Glaz B., Irey M.S., Hu C.-J.: Sugarcane genotype variation in leaf photosynthesis properties and yield as affected by mill mud application. - Agron. J. 107: 506-514, 2015. Go to original source...
    51. Zhao D., Irey M., LaBorde C., Hu C.-J.: Physiological and yield characteristics of 18 sugarcane genotypes grown on a sand soil. - Crop Sci. 59: 2741-2751, 2019. Go to original source...
    52. Zhu X.-G., Long S.P., Ort D.R.: Improving photosynthetic efficiency for greater yield. - Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 61: 235-261, 2010. Go to original source...

    Return to the content