Techniques in Bioproductivity and Photosynthesis

Techniques in Bioproductivity and Photosynthesis, Second Edition is a manual that provides information on the field and laboratory techniques associated with the measurement of plant productivity. The title discusses the most reliable and relevant techniques that can be applied to a wide variety of problems.
The coverage of the text includes various quantitative methods, such as measurement of plant biomass and net primary production; measurement of CO2 assimilation by plants in the field and the laboratory; and measurement of oxygen and chlorophyll fluorescence. The selection also deals with photosynthetic energy conversion; assimilatory nitrate reduction; and ammonia assimilation and amino acid biosynthesis.
The book will be of great interest to botanists, horticulturists, and agriculturists.

Contenu

Introduction
Units, Symbols and Abbreviations

1. Measurement of Plant Biomass and Net Primary Production
   1.1 Introduction
   1.1.1 Definitions
   1.1.2 Units
   1.1.3 Principles
   1.2 Sampling Design
   1.2.1 Fully Randomized Design
   1.2.2 Randomized Block Design
   1.3 Measurement of Above-Ground Biomass
   1.3.1 Number, Area and Shape of Quadrats
   1.3.2 Harvesting
   1.3.3 Sorting
   1.3.4 Drying
   1.3.5 Ashing
   1.3.6 Determination of Energy Content
   1.3.7 Carbon Analysis
   1.4 Measurement of Below-Ground Biomass
   1.4.1 Soil Extraction
   1.4.2 Separation from Soil and Washing
   1.4.3 Separation of Live Roots from Dead Matter
   1.4.4 Dry Weight and Organic Weight
   1.5 Non-Destructive Measurement of Biomass
   1.5.1 Estimation from Stem and Leaf Dimensions
   1.5.2 Remote Sensing
   1.6 Estimation of Losses
   1.6.1 Decomposition
   1.6.2 Grazing
   1.6.3 Exudation
   1.7 Estimation of Net Primary Production
   1.8 Experimental Work
   References
2. Plant Growth Analysis
   2.1 Introduction
   2.2 Basic Principles
   2.3 Components of Classical Growth Analysis
   2.3.1 Relative Growth Rate
   2.3.2 Unit Leaf Rate
   2.3.3 Leaf Area Ratio
   2.3.4 Specific Leaf Area and Leaf Weight Ratio
   2.3.5 Leaf Area Index
   2.3.6 Crop Growth Rate
   2.3.7 Leaf Area Duration
   2.4 Functional Growth Analysis
   2.4.1 Introduction
   2.4.2 The Richards Function
   2.5 Experimental Investigations
   2.5.1 Limitations
   2.5.2 Procedure
   References
3. Plant Microclimate
   3.1 General Introduction
   3.2 Radiation - Solar and Long Wave
   3.2.1 Introduction
   3.2.2 Radiation Measurements
   3.3 Temperature
   3.3.1 Introduction
   3.3.2 Temperature Measurements
   3.3.3 Use of Thermometers
   3.4 Humidity
   3.4.1 Introduction
   3.4.2 Definitions
   3.4.3 Measurements
   3.5 Wind
   3.5.1 Measurement
   3.6 Automatic Weather Stations
   3.7 Recording
   3.8 Experimental Work
   References
4. Canopy Structure and Light Interception
   4.1 Introduction
   4.2 Radiation in Canopies
   4.2.1 Changes in Photon Flux Density within the Canopy
   4.2.2 Considerations for Specific Canopies
   4.2.3 Light Compensation
   4.2.4 Measurement of Light in Canopies
   4.3 Measurement of Canopy Structure
   4.3.1 Leaf Area Index
   4.3.2 Leaf Inclination
   4.3.3 Leaf Orientation
   4.3.4 Stems and Inflorescences
   References
5. Water Relations
   5.1 Stomatal Conductance
   5.1.1 Introduction
   5.1.2 Resistance or Conductance
   5.1.3 Methods for Stomatal Aperture
   5.1.4 Methods for Rate of Water-Vapor Loss
   5.1.5 Principles and Calibration of Diffusion Porometers
   5.2 Plant Water Status
   5.2.1 Introduction
   5.2.2 Water Content
   5.2.3 Water Potential
   5.2.4 Components of Water Potential
   5.2.5 Pressure-Volume Curves
   5.3 Soil Water Status
   5.3.1 Introduction
   5.3.2 Soil Water Content
   5.3.3 Water Potential
   5.4 Practical Work on Water Relations
   5.4.1 Objectives
   5.4.2 Materials
   5.4.3 Procedure
   5.4.4 Calculations
   5.4.5 Analysis of Data
   5.4.6 Suggested Additional Work
   References and Further Reading
6. Measurement of CO2 Assimilation by Plants in the Field and the Laboratory
   6.1 Introduction
   6.1.1 The Role of CO2 Exchange Measurements
   6.1.2 Measures, Symbols and Units
   6.1.3 The Approach
   6.1.4 Closed Systems
   6.1.5 Semi-Closed Systems
   6.1.6 Open Systems
   6.2 Infra-Red Gas Analysis
   6.2.1 Principles
   6.2.2 Configurations
   6.2.3 Calibration
   6.3 14C Incorporation
   6.3.1 Principle
   6.3.2 Procedure
   6.4 Measurement and Control of Gas Flow
   6.4.1 Flowmetering
   6.4.2 Variable-Area Flowmeters
   6.4.3 Thermal Mass Flowmeters
   6.4.4 Flowmeter Calibration
   6.4.5 Flow Control
   6.5. Chamber Conditions and Construction
   6.5.1 Principles
   6.5.2 Chamber Design
   6.5.3 Boundary Layer Conditions
   6.5.4 Temperature
   6.5.5 Photon Flux Density
   6.5.6 Materials
   6.5.7 Air Conditioning
   6.6 Analysis of Gas Exchange Measurements
   6.6.1 Resistance Analogies
   6.6.2 The Gaseous Diffusion Pathway
   6.6.3 The A/ci Response
   6.6.4 Light Response
   6.7 Conclusion
   6.8 Experimental Work
   6.8.1 Photosynthetic Gas Exchange in the Laboratory
   6.8.2 Photosynthetic Gas Exchange in the Field
   References
7. Measurement of Oxygen and Chlorophyll Fluorescence
   7.1 The Oxygen Electrode
   7.1.1 Introduction
   7.1.2 Characteristics of the Oxygen Electrode
   7.1.3 Calibration
   7.1.4 Other Forms of Oxygen Measurement
   7.2 The Leaf Disc Electrode
   7.2.1 Introduction
   7.2.2 Calibration
   7.2.3 Calculations Relating to Volume and Calibration
   7.2.4 Experiment: Does It Work with a Leaf
   7.3 Chlorophyll Fluorescence Measurement
   7.3.1 Introduction
   7.3.2 Principles of Measurement
   7.3.3 Is Fluorescence Influenced by Carbon Assimilation
   7.3.4 Fluorescence Induction
   7.3.5 Complex Fluorescence Kinetics and Oscillations
   References
8. Shoot Morphology and Leaf Anatomy in Relation to Photosynthesis
   8.1 Shoot Morphology and the Relationship of Single Leaf to Whole Plant CO2 Assimilation and Canopy Productivity
   8.2 Leaf Anatomy
   8.2.1 Influence of High and Low Light Intensities on Leaf Anatomy
   8.2.2 Xeromorphy
   8.2.3 Leaf Anatomy Related to C3 and C4 Pathways of CO2 Fixation
   8.2.4 Sub-Groupings of C4 Species
   8.3 Experiments
   8.3.1 Leaf Anatomy
   8.3.2 Stomatal Width
   8.3.3 Demonstration of 02 Evolution from Whole Plants
   8.3.4 in Situ Demonstration of PSII Activity
   8.3.5 Differentiation between C3 and C4 Plants by Detection of Starch In Situ
   8.3.6 Demonstration of Phloem Translocation in Detached Maize Leaves
   References
9. Chloroplasts and Protoplasts
   9.1 Introduction
   9.1.1 Plant Material
   9.2 Mesophyll Protoplasts from C3, C4 and CAM Plants
   9.2.1 Preparation of Leaf Tissue and the Digestion Procedure
   9.2.2 Isolation and Purification
   9.2.3 Storage of Protoplasts
   9.2.4 Isolation of Plant Cells
   9.3 Photosynthesis by Isolated Protoplasts
   9.3.1 C3 Protoplasts
   9.3.2 C4 Mesophyll Protoplasts
   9.3.3 C4 Bundle-Sheath Strands
   9.3.4 CAM Cells and Protoplasts
   9.4 Chloroplast Isolation from Protoplasts
   9.4.1 C3 Chloroplasts
   9.4.2 C4 Chloroplasts
   9.4.3 CAM Chloroplasts
   9.5 Mechanical Separation of Intact Chloroplasts
   9.5.1 Isolation of Chloroplasts from Spinach
   9.5.2 Variations in the Procedure for Spinach
   9.6 Photosynthesis by Isolated Chloroplasts
   9.6.1 Criteria of Intactness
   9.6.2 Intactness Assay
   9.6.3 Improvement in Chloroplast Intactness
   9.7 Carbon Assimilation by C3 Chloroplasts
   9.7.1 Measurement of Chloroplast Photosynthesis
   9.8 Materials
   References
10. Photosynthetic Energy Conversion
    10.1 Introduction
    10.2 Measurement of Proton Flux, P…