Although crops often respond immediately to enriched CO2 concentrations (e.g., increased photosynthesis), this initial response is often not sustained throughout production, thus reducing the benefit of this input. For horticulture species, the timing and extent of these acclimation responses are still widely uncertain.
The objective of a new study was to determine species-specific acclimation responses to elevated CO2 concentrations for pansy (Viola ×wittrockiana "Matrix Blue Blotch Improved") and petunia (Petunia ×hybrida "Dreams Midnight"). The research is published in the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science.
Although the average ambient CO2 concentration currently exceeds 400 μmol⋅mol−1, concentrations in the greenhouse environment commonly decrease to less than 200 μmol⋅mol−1 during production in the winter and early spring. However, the current atmospheric concentration does not maximize photosynthetic capacity; therefore, there is potential to enhance plant growth by enriching controlled environments with CO2.
