Comparative gas exchange characteristics of potted, glasshouse-grown almond, apple, fig, grape, olive, peach and Asian pear

Abstract

Net photosynthesis ( P n ), dark respiration ( R d ), transpirational flux density (TFD) and leaf conductance ( k l ) on glasshouse-grown plants of almond, apple, fig, grape, olive, peach and Asian pear were examined under various laboratory environmental conditions. Grape and almond had the highest light-saturated photosynthetic rates, greater than 20 μmol CO 2 m −2 s −1 . Apple had the lowest temperature optimum for P n , 20°C. Almond had the highest R d rate between 10 and 50°C, but grape had the highest Q 10 for respiration, a value of 2.5. Apple, olive and grape stomata were most sensitive to the leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference. Apple had the greatest sensitivity of P n to the vapor pressure difference.