Photosynthetica, 2012 (vol. 50), issue 2

Photosynthetica 2012, 50(2):282-290 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-012-0034-6

Ecophysiological characteristics of two carrot (Daucus carota L.) cultivars in response to agroecological factors and nitrogen application

A. Thiagarajan1, R. Lada1,*, A. Adams1
1 Department of Plant and Animal Sciences, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Truro, Canada

Plant density, planting time, harvest timing, and nitrogen influence on short-term gas-exchange properties of carrot cultivars, Topcut and Sugarsnax (Daucus carota L.) were investigated under field conditions. Net photosynthetic rate (P N), stomatal conductance (g s), and transpiration rate (E) differed significantly with the cultivars studied. Both planting and harvest timing changed the midday P N rates. P N increased as harvest timing advanced regardless of planting time. Late planting combined with late harvesting registered the maximum P N rates (4.5 μmol m-2 s-1). The water-use efficiency (WUE) was altered by temperature at different harvest timings along with the choice of cultivar. Early harvested Sugarsnax had a higher WUE (2.29 mmol mol-1) than TopCut (1.64 mmol mol-1) as Sugarsnax exhibited more stomatal conductance than TopCut. These changes were principally governed by fluctuations observed with air temperature and photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and altered by the sensitivity of the cultivars to ecological factors. Plant density did not affect the photosynthetic gas-exchange parameters. Our results suggest that carrots manage high population density solely through morphological adaptations with no photosynthetic adjustments. Carrot leaves responded to N application in a curvilinear fashion in both cultivars. N did not alter g s, E, or WUE in carrots. N, applied at a rate of 150 kg N ha-1, increased foliar N up to 2.98%. We conclude that 2.98% of foliar N is sufficient to achieve the maximum photosynthetic rates in processing carrots.

Keywords: Daucas carota; foliar nitrogen; photosynthesis; processing carrots; water-use efficiency

Received: August 4, 2011; Accepted: March 15, 2012; Published: June 1, 2012Show citation

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Thiagarajan, A., Lada, R., & Adams, A. (2012). Ecophysiological characteristics of two carrot (Daucus carota L.) cultivars in response to agroecological factors and nitrogen application. Photosynthetica, 50(2), 282-290. doi: 10.1007/s11099-012-0034-6.
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