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Articles

Stomatal Limitation to Carbon Gain in Paphiopedilum sp. (Orchidaceae) and Its Reversal by Blue Light ¹

Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, Smithsonian Institution, Environmental Research Center, 12441 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20852-1773

Leaves from Paphiopedilum sp. (Orchidaceae) having achlorophyllous stomata, show reduced levels of stomatal conductance when irradiated with red light, as compared with either the related, chlorophyllous genus Phragmipedium or with their response to blue light. These reduced levels of stomatal conductance, and the failure of isolated Paphiopedilum stomata to open under red irradiation indicates that the small stomatal response measured in the intact leaf under red light is indirect.

The overall low levels of stomatal conductance observed in Paphiopedilum leaves under most growing conditions and their capacity to increase stomatal conductance in response to blue light suggested that growth and carbon gain in Paphiopedilum could be enhanced in a blue light-enriched environment. To test that hypothesis, plants of Paphiopedilum acmodontum were grown in controlled growth chambers under daylight fluorescent light, with or without blue light supplementation. Total photosynthetic photon flux density was kept constant in both conditions. Blue light enrichment resulted in significantly higher growth rates—of up to 77%—over a 3 to 4 week growing period, with all evidence indicating that the blue light effect was a stomatal response. Manipulations of stomatal properties aimed at long-term carbon gains could have agronomic applications.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. D. Talbott, J. Zhu, S. W. Han, and E. Zeiger Phytochrome and Blue Light-Mediated Stomatal Opening in the Orchid, Paphiopedilum Plant Cell Physiol., June 15, 2002; 43(6): 639 - 646. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. M. Assmann and K.-i. Shimazaki The Multisensory Guard Cell. Stomatal Responses to Blue Light and Abscisic Acid Plant Physiology, March 1, 1999; 119(3): 809 - 816. [Full Text]