4. CONTROL OF PLANT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT BY CLIMATIC GROWTH FACTORS – CONTROL OF PLANT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT BY CARBON DIOXIDE CONCENTRATION

In the complex of climate growth factors, the CO₂ supply plays an important role, and this not only applies to protected cultivation – where supernatural levels can be economically maintained at highly reduced ventilation rates-, but also to open field conditions.

Looking back at the growth rate of high level crop producing systems shows the admirable capacity of the plant to collect enormous amounts of CO₂ from ambient air with CO₂ contents far below 1% by volume.
Plant stands producing 20 g dry matter per m² per day need about 1600 m of has air to get the necessary CO₂, if they are allowed to reduce its CO concentration by 5%, and the daily biomass production can be considerably higher.
Now it appears that the CO₂ concentration around the shoot has a pronounced effect on the performance of the plant, brought about by influences on the photosynthetic rate and their consequences and perhaps by additional non-trophic actions of the CO₂ concentration.

Symposium on Basic Problems of Protected Vegetable Production

H.J. Daunicht

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1974.39.16