C3-C 4 intermediate photosynthetic characteristics of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) : I. Gas exchange.

The gas exchange characteristics of cassava were compared with one C3 species, common bean, and two C4 species, maize and amaranthus. Cassava leaf photorespiration, about 12% of maximum net photosynthesis in normal air, and the CO2 release in CO2-free air under intense light were lower than the values typically reported for C3 species. The CO2 compensation point of whole leaves (25 cm(3) CO2m(-3)) was intermediate between C3 and C4 species values.Gas exchange was restricted to either the upper or lower surface of amphistomatous leaves by covering one side of the leaf with silicone grease. The CO2 compensation point of the upper leaf surface was less than 6 cm(3) CO2m(-3) and the CO2 release into CO2-free air in the light was essentially zero. On the lower leaf surface considerable CO2 release occurred in both the light and the dark.The hypothesis presented to explain these results is the existence of an efficient CO2 recycling mechanism in the palisade layer in the upper half of the leaf. In the light of recent data (presented in the second paper of this series) indicating that cassava produces C4 acids as primary products of photosynthesis, it is proposed that this hypothesis is consistent with the possible existence of the C4 photosynthetic pathway in the palisade layer of cassava leaves.The results and hypothesis are discussed in relation to the crop's adaptation to the environmental conditions where it is normally grown. The implications of variation in anatomical features such as stomatal distribution on both surfaces of the leaf are analyzed with a view to enhancing the potential productivity of cassava under stress conditions.