Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #72963
Title: SEED MASS EFFECTS ON RAPIDITY OF RESPONSE TO CO2 ENRICHMENT IN FIVE EPIGEALSPECIES

Author
item Tischler, Charles
item Polley, Herbert
item Johnson, Hyrum
item Pennington, Rodney
item Brown, Daniel

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/30/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Reports in the literature suggest that C3 dicot seedlings vary based on seed size in the time required for positive responses to elevated CO2, with small seeded species responding most rapidly. We grew bag pod sesbania, cotton, mesquite, cucumber, and hemp sesbania (0.250, 0.125, 0.042, 0.028, and 0.012 g seed**-1, respectively) at current ambient and elevated (700 uL L**-1) CO2 concentrations, and measured leaf, shoot, and root mass and leaf area between 3 and 16 days after emergence (DAE). At 5 DAE all species exhibited a significant increase in dry mass at elevated relative to ambient CO2. Percentage increase in dry mass at elevated CO2 was similar among species, irrespective of initial seed mass, cotyledonary leaf area, or rate of leaf area or biomass accumulation. In general, rate of leaf area development was correlated with the degree of expansion by the cotyledonary leaves. Our data do not support the contention that positive responses to elevated CO2 are observed earliest in species with the lowest seed mass.