Question

How do you force a plant to produce more carbon dioxide than it uses?

Answer 1

• Plant produce carbon dioxide during cellular respiration.
• While carbon dioxide is used during the process of photosynthesis.
• Thus, increasing the rate of photosynthesis will increase the rate of CO₂ uptake.
• Thus, controlling the rate limiting factors for photosynthesis will increase the rate of photosynthesis.
• Photosynthesis is determined by:

• Light intensity and quality:

• Phototrophs can capture light energy with help of photosynthetic pigments, including chlorophylls, bacteriochlorophylls and accessory pigments.
• Photosynthetic organisms and plants, have pigments, that can absorb a specific quantum (absorption spectra) of light energy or photons.
• Reaction center contains chlorophyll a, which Absorbs red light (about 680 nm).
• Antenna pigments are made up of other chlorophylls (chlorophyll b, c, d), Carotenes and xanthophylls etc.
• Antenna pigments absorb higher energy of light source or shorter wavelength than 680 nm (light absorbed by reaction center).
• Initial antenna pigment carotenoids (including Carotenes and xanthophylls), absorb blue-green light of wavelength 400-550 nm.
• Thus, increasing the light intensity and wavelength of light will increase rate of photosynthesis.

Decreasing oxygen concentration:

• The primary enzyme for photosynthesis is RUBISCO (RUBP oxygenase-carboxylase).
• RUBISCO can utilize, both Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide as substrates.
• Thus, decreasing ratio of oxygen in comparision to Carbon Dioxide, will direct RUBISCO towards using Carbon Dioxide.