Diurnal and seasonal variations in stomatal conductance of rice at elevated atmospheric CO2 under fully open-air conditions

Understanding of leaf stomatal responses to the atmospheric CO2 concentration, [CO2], is essential for accurate prediction of plant water use under future climates. However, limited information is available for the diurnal and seasonal changes in stomatal conductance (g(s)) under elevated [CO2]. We examined the factors responsible for variations in g(s) under elevated [CO2] with three rice cultivars grown in an open-field environment under flooded conditions during two growing seasons (a total of 2140 individual measurements). Conductance of all cultivars was generally higher in the morning and around noon than in the afternoon, and elevated [CO2] decreased g(s) by up to 64% over the 2 years (significantly on 26 out of 38 measurement days), with a mean g(s) decrease of 23%. We plotted the g(s) variations against three parameters from the Ball-Berry model and two revised versions of the model, and all parameters explained the g(s) variations well at each [CO2] in the morning and around noon (R2 > 0.68), but could not explain these variations in the afternoon (R2 < 0.33). The present results provide an important basis for modelling future water use in rice production.