Responses of photosynthetic characteristics and growth in rice and winter wheat to different elevated CO2 concentrations

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of different elevated CO2 concentrations [ambient CO2 concentration (CK), CK plus 40 μmol mol–1 (T1), CK plus 200 μmol mol–1 (T2)] on photosynthetic characteristics and growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The results showed that T2 treatment decreased the net photosynthetic rate and leaf nitrogen content (LNC) but increased the light-saturated net photosynthetic rate of rice. Additionally, T2 treatment increased biomass accumulation and yield in both rice and winter wheat to some extent. T1 treatment, however, had little effect on photosynthetic parameters, LNC, biomass, and yield during the rice and winter wheat growing seasons. The above results suggest that the photosynthesis and growth responses of rice and winter wheat to different CO2 concentrations differed, in general, the increase of CO2 concentrations influenced more photosynthetic performance and growth of C3 plants than lower CO2 concentrations.