The atmospheric CO2 concentration is rising. These higher CO2 concentrations will certainly affect growth but may also affect nutrient responses of crop plants. The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the effect of elevated CO2 on the nitrogen and phosphorus nutrition of two different crop species: wheat and cotton. Once establishing the new nutrient requirements of these crop species at elevated CO2 the study focussed on the interactive effects of elevated CO2 and N supply on growth and leaf N concentrations in cotton and wheat, carbohydrate metabolism, source:sink interactions and photosynthetic enzyme levels in the two species. Having established these effects, the role of N supply in controlling source:sink effects on Rubisco concentration were studied at the molecular level in wheat. Finally, some implications of the effect of elevated CO2 on wheat were examined, specifically on the quality of flour produced from wheat grain grown at elevated CO2. The foliar nitrogen concentrations, required to produce maximum shoot growth (critical concentrations) were lower at elevated CO2 while the critical phosphorus concentrations were higher.
Date of Award | 1996 |
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Original language | English |
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- crop species
- wheat
- cotton
- nutrient
- carbohydrate
- metabolism
- photosynthetic
- enzyme
- Rubisco
- foliar
- nitrogen
- phosphorus
Influence of N and P nutrition on the responses of wheat and cotton to elevated CO2
Rogers, G. S. (Author). 1996
Western Sydney University thesis: Doctoral thesis