Gas exchange and chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence were measured on young mature leaves of rose plants (Rosa hybrida cvs. First Red and Twingo) grown in two near-to-tight greenhouses, one under control ambient CO2 concentration, AC (355 µmol mol-1) and one under CO2 enrichment, EC (700 µmol mol-1), during four flushes from late June to early November. Supply of water and mineral elements was non-limiting while temperature was allowed to rise freely during daytime. Leaf diffusive conductance was not significantly reduced at EC but net photosynthetic rate increased by more than 100 %. Although the concentration of total non-structural saccharides was substantially higher in the leaves from the greenhouse with EC, ΦPS2 (quantum efficiency of radiation use) around noon was not significantly reduced at EC indicating that there was no down-regulation of electron transport. Moreover, CO2 enrichment did not cause any increase in the risk of photo-damage, as estimated by the 1 - qP parameter. Non-photochemical quenching was even higher in the greenhouse with EC during the two summer flushes, when temperature and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) were the highest. Hence rose photosynthesis benefits strongly from high concentrations of atmospheric CO2 at both high and moderate temperatures and PPFD. and L. Urban ... [et al.].
Rosa hybrida plantlets were rooted on solid sucrosed medium (MS) under an irradiance (PPFD) of 45 μmol m-2 s-1 or on liquid hydroponic solution (MH) at 100 μmol m-2 s-1. Then all plantlets were acclimated without sucrose under 100 μmol m-2 s-1 PPFD. After 7 d in rooting stage, the ratio of variable over maximal chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) was significantly higher for plants grown in MH than in MS and hence the higher irradiance at this stage of growth had no photoinhibitory effect. The radiant energy was used by the photochemical process and also by photoprotective mechanisms of photosystem 2, expressed by increases in the rates of electron flux, net photosynthesis, and non-photochemical quenching. This effect on Fv/Fm was maintained during three weeks in acclimation phase. The resistance of plantlets increased as new leaves formed, and after six weeks in acclimation, there was no difference between the two conditions. The study under higher irradiance (100, 150, or 300 μmol m-2 s-1) indicated that photoinhibition might take place at 300 μmol m-2 s-1 whatever the growth conditions. and C. Genoud ... [et al.].