NAME: Rusty E.

Cagas

CS 520/620: Crop Environment Physiology and Ecology

Summer 2019 Final Exam

1. Why salt stress is also called drought stress?

 Salt stress is also called drought stress because the effects of the stress on plants is
difficult since the high salt ion concentration provoke not only a chemical (ionic)
imbalance in plant cells, but also induce a drought stress by increasing the water
potential of the soil.
How osmotic effect of salinity reduces plant water uptake?
 Osmotic effect of salinity reduces plant water uptake because the salinity acts to
inhibit plant access by increasing the osmotic strength of the soil solution. As the
soil dries, the soil solution becomes increasingly concentrated, further limiting
plant access to soil water.
How does salt stress reduce biomass production of the plants?
 Salt stress reduce biomass production of the plants because the soil salinity is one
of the most important global problems that negatively affects crop productivity,
salinity impairs plant growth and development via water stress, cytotoxicity due to
excessive uptake of ions such as sodium (Na + ) and chloride (CI-), and nutritional
imbalance that why salt stress reduce biomass production of the plants.
2. How does water stress (flooding) contributes production of greenhouse gases directly or
indirectly?
 Water stress (flooding) contributes production of greenhouse gases directly or
indirectly because the water vapour feedback can also amplify the warning
brought about by increased carbon dioxide allows more water vapour to enter
that atmosphere. And since water vapour is itself a greenhouse gas, the increase in
humidity amplifies the warning from carbon dioxide.

Explain the process and give examples. Explain the reduction of stomatal conductance
under water deficit condition.

 Stomata are pores in the leaf that allow the plant and carbon dioxide enters.
Special cells called guard cells control each pore’s opening or closing. When
stomata are open, transpiration rates increase; when they are closed,
transpiration rates decrease.

3. How do plants alter its immediate environment to avoid toxin?

 Plants alter its immediate environment to avoid toxin when these toxins enter the
roots of neighbouring plants, they prevent them from growing further. Plants are
able to release chemical compounds from their roots into the soil, where the
substances decay or are modified by microbes. Some of these products are toxic
when the roots of neighbouring plants take them up.
 What particular principle of resistance being used?

 The particular principle of resistance being used is the Cadmium (Cd) is one of the
nonessential, highly toxic environmental of CD toxicity.

Explain the advantages of this principle.

 The advantages of this principle also helps determine Cd-tolerant plant species
that can be used.

How do plants develop tolerance to toxicity?

 The plants develop tolerance to toxicity by different mechanisms have been

proposed to explain the tolerance of plants to toxicity induced by micronutrients,
as uses of other elements and substances, in which it can positively act with
specific transporters, metal ion homeostasis and compartmentalization of
micronutrients into the vacuole.

4. From physiological point of view, explain how abiotic stress reduce crop growth rate.
 Abiotic stress reduce crop growth rate if anything the environmental impacts are
even more significant today, yield of the “big 5” food crops are expected to decline
in many areas in the future due to the continued reduction of arable land,
reduction of water resources and increased global warming trends and climate
change. This growing concern is reflected in the increasing number of publications
focused on abiotic stresses.

5. Explain the relationships between photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and the rate
of photosynthesis in C3 and C4 plants in an environment with not limiting CO2.
 The relationships between photosynthesis active radiation and the rate of
photosynthesis in C3 and C4 plants in an environment with not limiting CO2 is that
the majority of plants are C3 plants, which have no special features to combat
photorespiration. C4 plants minimize photorespiration by separating initial CO2
fixation and the Calvin cycle in space, performing these steps in different cell
types.

What will happen to the rate of photosynthesis in C3 and C4 plant if CO2 will be the
limiting factor under not limiting PAR?

 An increase in the carbon dioxide concentration increases the rate at which carbon
is incorporated into carbohydrate in the light-independent reaction, and so the
rate of photosynthesis generally increases until limited by another factor.

6. Physiologically, how does higher CO2 concentration affects agricultural production?

 Studies have shown that higher concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide
affect crops in two important ways: they boost crop yields by increasing the rate of
photosynthesis, which spurs growth, and they reduce the amount of water crops
lose through transpiration. During the process they release water vapour.
 Give examples specifically for cereal crops and explain its benefits.

 The example specifically for cereal crops is “Maize” by quantity the most
important C4 grain crop to the human well-being, contributing significant fractions
of grain production. In addition to these grain crops, sugar cane is a C4 crop that is
used for both food and fuel.

7. Physiologically, explain why C4 plants are more efficient in utilizing water than C3 plants.
 Because species with the C4 photosynthetic pathway have envolved biochemical
CO2 concentrating mechanisms that allow Rubisco to function in a high CO2
environment. This increases both their nitrogen and water use efficiency
compared to C3 species.
How do farmers take advantage of this very important characteristic of C4 plants in terms
of water use efficiency?
 The farmers take advantage of this very important characteristic of C4 plants in
terms of water use efficiency by taking advantage of a limited water supply. Firstly,
the term water use efficiency can be used at several very plants that will not be
able to take advantage of any higher rainfall needs

8. What are examples of more resilient agricultural technology that help mitigate climate
change?
 Reducing climate change involves reducing the flow of heat-trapping greenhouse
gases into the atmosphere, either by reducing sources of these gases (for example,
the burning of fossil fuels for electricity, heat or transport) or enhancing the
“sinks” that accumulate and store these gases (such as the oceans, forests and soil.
The goal of mitigation is to avoid significant human interference with the climate
system.

9. Why leaf area and net assimilation are regarded as the driving variables for agricultural
plant growth analysis under nutrient sufficient environment?
 They are regarded because in plants, growth is particulary important because both
survival and reproduction depend on plant size and therefore on growth rate

How do leaf area and net assimilation rate affect crop growth rate the agricultural plant
community? Please give specific example.

 Leaf area has been adopted as a measure of the size of the photosynthetic system.
High correlation between leaf area and growth rate in various crops including
cotton has been reported. However, more crop oriented concept of assessing
quantitative performance of the whole plant community is leaf area index and
further, an optimum leaf area index are evident in various crops.

10. Physiologically, explain the advantage of “stay-green” plants in relation to biomass and
yield production.
 Stay green is a crucial trait for genetic improvement of several crops, which allows
plants to keep their leaves on the active photosynthetic level under stress
conditions. Understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms
concomitant with “ STAY GREEN” trait or delayed leaf senescence, as well as those
regulating photosynthetic capability of plants under heat stress, with a certain
focus on the hormonal pathways, may be a key to break the plateau of
productivity associated with adaptation to high temperature.