Journal
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
Volume 188, Issue -, Pages 10-16Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.fcr.2016.01.012
Keywords
Cotton; Canopy photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency; Canopy photosynthetic light use efficiency; Specific leaf area; Plant population density
Categories
Funding
- National Basic Research Program of China [2012CB722205]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [U1203283]
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Appropriate plant population density (PPD) is an important crop management practice for optimizing canopy light distribution and increasing canopy photosynthetic capacity in field-grown cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). A 2-year field experiment was conducted to determine how the PPD (7.5, 19.5 or 31.5 plants m(-2)) of cotton affects canopy photosynthetic capacity and photosynthetic use efficiency of light and N. The results indicated that PPD significantly affected both leaf morphology and canopy photosynthetic characteristics. As PPD changed, cotton maximized canopy apparent photosynthetic light use efficiency (CAP(LUE)) and photosynthetic capacity by adjusting specific leaf area (SLA), which in turn affected leaf N distribution in the canopy. The SLA of all three canopy layers increased as PPD increased. In the upper canopy, canopy light interception and canopy apparent photosynthetic N use efficiency (CAP(NUE)) rose as SLA increased, but CAP(LUE) declined. As PPD increased, SLA in the mid- and lower-canopy layers increased significantly. This caused canopy apparent photosynthesis rate per leaf area (CAP(Leaf)) and CAP(NUE) to decline. Medium-PPD had the highest canopy apparent photosynthesis rate (CAP) and CAP(LUE) in the mid- and lower-canopy layers. As a result, medium-PPD had the highest whole -canopy photosynthetic capacity and CAP(LUE) in this study. Overall, the results indicated that optimal spatial distribution of both light and specific leaf area is key for efficient utilization of light and N in cotton canopies. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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