Dynamic Photosynthesis Model Simulates 10-20 Percent Yield Increase
Published:08 Sep.2021 Source:Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
A team from the University of Illinois has developed a model that treats photosynthesis as a dynamic process rather than an activity that either is or is not happening. This allowed the group to examine the impacts of the many fluctuations in light that crop leaves experience due to intermittent clouds, overlying leaves, and the sun's daily passage across the sky.
In today's densely planted crops, these fluctuations are the norm. Lower efficiency of photosynthesis due to slow adjustment to light changes and are estimated to cost up to 40 percent of potential productivity. If crop leaves could be genetically manipulated to adjust more rapidly, then the gain in productivity and efficiency of water-use would be substantial.