Photosynthetic light response of the C4 grasses Brachiaria brizantha and B. humidicola under shade
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-90162002000100009Keywords:
carbon assimilation, chlorophyll content, light compensation point, pastureAbstract
Forage grasses in tropical pastures can be subjected to considerable diurnal and seasonal reductions in available light. To evaluate the physiological behavior of the tropical forage grasses Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu and B. humidicola to low light, the photosynthetic light response and chlorophyll contents of these species were compared for plants grown outdoors, on natural soil, in pots, in full sunlight and those shaded to 30 % of full sunlight, over a 30-day period. Both species showed the ability to adjust their photosynthetic behavior in response to shade. Photosynthetic capacity and light compensation point were lower for shade plants of both species, while apparent quantum yield was unaffected by the light regime. Dark respiration and chlorophyll a:b ratio were significantly reduced by shading only in B. humidicola. B. humidicola could be relatively more adapted to succeed, at least temporarily, in light-limited environments.Downloads
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Published
2002-03-01
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Section
Plant Physiology and Biochemistry
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All content of the journal, except where identified, is licensed under a Creative Common attribution-type BY-NC.How to Cite
Photosynthetic light response of the C4 grasses Brachiaria brizantha and B. humidicola under shade . (2002). Scientia Agricola, 59(1), 65-68. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-90162002000100009