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Relationship between leaf area index and yield in double-crop and full-season soybean systems.

Previous research indicates a correlation between leaf area index (LAI) and yield of full-season soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill], which is a single crop planted early in the season. Leaf area index values of at least 3.5-4.0 in the reproductive stages are required for maximum potential yield. It is unknown how yields of double-crop soybean, which is planted late into harvested small grain fields, respond to changes in leaf area index. We hypothesized that double-crop soybean would be more sensitive to defoliation than full-season soybean. This study used linear and linear plateau models to describe the yield response of full-season and double-crop soybean to reductions in leaf area index through manual defoliation, and evaluated the yield response of double-crop soybean to reductions in leaf area index through natural insect defoliation. From 15 manual defoliation experiments over 3 yr, significant linear decreases in yield occurred in both full-season and double-crop soybean when leaf area index values were below 3.5-4.0 by developmental stages R4 to R5, whereas yields usually reached a plateau at higher leaf area index levels. Average yield loss was 769 +/- 319 kg ha(-1) for each unit decrease in leaf area index below the plateau; average maximum yield was 3,484 +/- 735 kg ha(-1). From eight field experiments over 2 yr, insect defoliators had no effect on double-crop soybean yield; leaf area index levels were above 4.0 by the developmental stage when leaf area index estimates were taken (R3 to R6). Therefore, double-crop soybean that maintains leaf area index values above the 3.5-4.0 critical level by mid-reproductive developmental stages can tolerate defoliating pests.

Animals↗

Dissecting a wheat QTL for yield present in a range of environments: from the QTL to candidate genes.

Previous studies with 95 bread wheat doubled haploid lines (DHLs) from the cross Chinese Spring (CS)xSQ1 trialled over 24 yearxtreatmentxlocations identified major yield quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in homoeologous locations on 7AL and 7BL, expressed mainly under stressed and non-stressed conditions, respectively. SQ1 and CS contributed alleles increasing yield on 7AL and 7BL, respectively. The yield component most strongly associated with these QTLs was grains per ear. Additional results which focus on the 7AL yield QTL are presented here. Trials monitoring agronomic, morphological, physiological, and anatomical traits revealed that the 7AL yield QTL was not associated with differences in flowering time or plant height, but with significant differences in biomass at maturity and anthesis, biomass per tiller, and biomass during tillering. In some trials, flag leaf chlorophyll content and leaf width at tillering were also associated with the QTL. Thus, it is likely that the yield gene(s) on 7AL affects plant productivity. Near-isogenic lines (NILs) for the 7AL yield QTL with CS or SQ1 alleles in an SQ1 background showed the SQ1 allele to be associated with >20% higher yield per ear, significantly higher flag leaf chlorophyll content, and wider flag leaves. Epidermal cell width and distance between leaf vascular bundles did not differ significantly between NILs, so the yield-associated gene may influence the number of cell files across the leaf through effects on cell division. Interestingly, comparative mapping with rice identified AINTEGUMENTA and G-protein subunit genes affecting lateral cell division at locations homologous to the wheat 7AL yield QTL.

Alleles↗

Trends in sales weighted tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide yields of UK cigarettes.

BACKGROUND: Reducing tar yields of manufactured cigarettes has been an important plank of government policy on tobacco, but sale weighted yields are not routinely published. METHODS: Tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide yields measured by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist were combined with cigarette brand market shares from national surveys of smoking behaviour to generate sales weighted yield estimates for the period 1972-99. RESULTS: Sales weighted mean tar yields have declined steadily and in 1999 were 9.6 mg per cigarette, less than half their level in 1972. Over the same period nicotine yields have come down from 1.33 mg to 0.79 mg per cigarette. Carbon monoxide yields have shown smaller declines. At the same time as absolute yields have declined, there have also been changes in tar to nicotine ratios. Smokers in 1999 were exposed to 22% less tar per unit of nicotine than in 1973, and smokers of low tar brands have consistently been exposed to less tar per unit of nicotine than smokers of other brands. CONCLUSIONS: The value of reducing cigarette tar and nicotine yields has been questioned, since the tendency of smokers to compensate for reductions in nicotine delivery undermines the policy. The favourable trends in tar to nicotine ratios suggest that, despite this, there may have been some modest public health benefit. It cannot be assumed that future reductions from present levels would necessarily result in further improvement in tar to nicotine ratios. An explicit focus on the ratio of tar to nicotine may provide a metric of greater relevance for public health than the present emphasis on absolute tar yields.

Carbon Monoxide↗

Retail cut yields of Rambouillet wether lambs fed the beta-adrenergic agonist L644,969.

Twenty Rambouillet wether lambs were given ad libitum access to a diet with (BAA, n = 10) or without (control, n = 10) 1 ppm of the beta-adrenergic agonist L644,969. Lambs were fed to a constant slaughter weight end point of 54.5 kg. Carcasses were fabricated to yield bone-in and boneless cuts that were trimmed progressively to 1.27, .64, .32, and .00 cm of s.c. fat remaining. Addition of BAA did not affect growth traits. Actual and adjusted fat thickness, body wall thickness, and percentage of kidney-pelvic fat did not differ between control and BAA lambs. However, BAA increased longissimus muscle area, longissimus muscle depth, and leg score while decreasing USDA yield grade. The BAA increased carcass conformation scores and decreased flank lean color scores. No other carcass quality measurements were affected by BAA. Addition of BAA did not affect overall carcass yields of bone-in retail cuts. However, BAA increased overall carcass yields of boneless retail cuts regardless of fat trim level. The BAA increased bone-in leg yield. Yield of boneless sirloin, bone-in loin and boneless loin were not affected by BAA. For these cuts, the percentage change from the control was highly dependent on fat trim level. There was no difference in short-cut, shank-off, semiboneless leg yield between control and BAA. Addition of BAA did not affect yield of bone-in rack regardless of fat trim level. However, BAA greatly increased yield of boneless ribeye. The BAA did not affect yield of bone-in or boneless shoulder.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adipose Tissue↗

The interplay of feeding and genetics on heifer rearing and first lactation milk yield: a review.

Weight gain of young dairy replacement heifers, even over several months, is highly variable, lowly heritable, and a poor indicator of either weight at calving or first lactation milk yield. Voluntary forage consumption is much less variable, more heritable, and a better predictor of weight at calving and milk yield. Weight at calving is highly heritable but not correlated genetically with milk yield. Heavier weight at first calving due to feeding and management does increase milk yield. When grain is fed according to milk yield, weight loss during the first month or two after calving and milk yield are under strong genetic control and tightly genetically correlated to each other and to energy intake. The feed to milk ratio is managementally determined. Better-grown heifers eat more forage and can tolerate more grain consumption without digestive or metabolic disorders. Good body condition at calving seems essential for high milk yield. Genetic ability to mobilize body condition to increase milk yield justifies more grain and results in greater total efficiency up to the point of causing digestive disorders. Good heifer rearing is essential to high milk yield and feed efficiency. Realizing genetic potential for high yield demands excellence of feeding and management during lactation.

Aging↗

Composition and yield of milk from beef-type Bos taurus and Bos indicus X Bos taurus dams.

Yield, butterfat, protein, lactose and solids-not-fat of milk from mature dams (n = 128) representing eight Bos taurus and Bos indicus X Bos taurus breed types were evaluated approximately 60, 105 and 150 d postpartum. Breed type was a significant source of variation in milk yield at each stage of lactation. Average 24-h milk yields (kg) were: Hereford, 7.3; Red Poll, 9.1; Hereford X Red Poll, 9.1; Red Poll X Hereford, 9.1; Angus X Hereford, 8.6; Angus X Charolais, 9.3; Brahman X Hereford, 7.3 and Brahman X Angus, 8.3. Daily yields of Brahman X Angus dams increased as lactation progressed, while production levels of other breed types remained approximately the same or declined. Hereford-Red Poll crosses showed significant heterosis in 24-h milk production and component yields at 150 d. Breed type effects also were significant for lactose yield throughout lactation. Sex of calf influenced (P less than .05) milk yield at 60 and 105 d postpartum and yield of protein and solids-not-fat at 105 d. Mastitis caused a reduction (P less than .01) in percentage of lactose but had no effect on milk yield. Residual correlations between yield traits and preweaning average daily gain were all positive and significant, with values ranging from .22 to .45. Breed type was a major source of variation in milk traits of beef-type Bos taurus and Bos indicus X Bos taurus dams.

Animals↗

Effects of pretrial milk yield on responses of feed intake, digestion, and production to dietary forage concentration.

The relationships between pretrial milk yield and effects of dietary forage-to-concentrate ratio on dry matter intake (DMI), digestion, and milk yield were evaluated using 32 Holstein cows in a crossover design with two 16-d periods. Cows were 197 +/- 55 (mean +/- SD) days in milk at the beginning of the experiment. Milk yield averaged 33.9 kg/d and ranged from 16.5 to 55.0 kg/d for the 4 d before initiation of treatments. Treatments were diets with forage-to-concentrate ratios of 67:33 and 44:56. Forages were alfalfa silage and corn silage, each at 50% of forage dry matter (DM). Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentrations of high-forage and low-forage diets were 30.7 and 24.3% of DM, respectively. Dry matter intake was 1.7 kg/d higher for cows fed the low-forage diet. Milk yield was 2.3 kg/d greater on low forage than on high forage, but 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield and yield of milk fat were not different between treatments. Individual DMI response to the low-forage diet relative to the high-forage diet (low-high) was positively and linearly related to pretrial fat-corrected milk yield, but fat-corrected milk yield response demonstrated a quadratic relationship with pretrial fat-corrected milk yield. Milk yield responded more positively to low forage among low- and high-producing cows than among moderate-producing cows. Energy partitioned to body reserves and to milk, and passage rate of indigestible NDF, also responded to dietary forage level in quadratic relationships with pretrial milk energy output. Individual responses of intake, production, and fiber digestion to a change in forage-to-concentrate ratio were dependent on production level.

Animal Feed↗

Adjustment for heterogeneous covariance due to herd milk yield by transformation of test-day random regressions.

A method of accounting for differences in covariance components of test-day milk records was developed based on transformation of regressions for random effects. Preliminary analysis indicated that genetic and nongenetic covariance structures differed by herd milk yield. Differences were found for phenotypic covariances and also for genetic, permanent environmental, and herd-time covariances. Heritabilities for test-day milk yield tended to be lower at the end and especially at the start of lactation; they also were higher (maximum of approximately 25%) for high-yield herds and lower (maximum of 15%) for low-yield herds. Permanent environmental variances were on average 10% lower in high-yield herds. Relative herd-time variances were approximately 10% at start of lactation and then began to decrease regardless of herd yield; high-yield herds increased in midlactation followed by another decrease, and medium-yield herds increased at the end of lactation. Regressors for random regression effects were transformed to adjust for heterogeneity of test-day yield covariances. Some animal reranking occurred because of this transformation of genetic and permanent environmental effects. When genetic correlations between environments were allowed to differ from 1, some additional animal re-ranking occurred. Correlations of variances of genetic and permanent-environmental regression solutions within herd, test-day, and milking frequency class with class mean milk yields were reduced with adjustment for heterogeneous covariance. The method suggests a number of innovative solutions to issues related to heterogeneous covariance structures, such as adjusted estimates in multibreed evaluation.

Aging↗

Yields and persistency of lactation in Friesian and Jersey cows milked once daily.

Effects of milking cows once daily throughout lactation at high stocking rates (17% more cows/ha than for those milked twice daily) were studied in 2 Friesian and 2 Jersey herds during 3 lactations. Cows were allocated to 2 herds within breed and were milked either once or twice daily, based on age, genetic merit, and previous performance. Cows remained in their original herd and were milked at the same milking frequency during all lactations. Culled cows (20% per year) were replaced by 2-yr-old heifers. Yields of milk, lactose, protein, and fat were measured every 2 wk by commercial herd test. Cubic splines (5 knots) were used to approximate the lactation curve for each cow-yr to provide estimates of performance for each day of lactation. Yields of milk were greater for Friesian and Jersey cows milked twice daily (4,751 +/- 89 and 3,067 +/- 81 kg/cow) than for cows milked once daily (3,329 +/- 80 and 2,431 +/- 75 kg/cow), respectively. Cows milked once daily had lesser total and peak yields of milk, lactose, protein, and fat than cows milked twice daily. Friesians had greater total and peak yields than Jerseys. Peak production for all milk components occurred earlier in lactation for cows milked once daily than twice daily (d 24 to 39 vs. 32 to 44). Three measures of persistency of lactation were considered for each cow with 2 measures (Pers1 and Pers2) indicating that cows milked twice daily had better persistency than those milked once daily. Ranking of herds in persistency tended to match the ranking based on total yields. Measures of persistency (Pers1 and Pers2) were positively related to total yield in the Jerseys milked once daily and negatively related to peak yield in the Friesians. The third persistency measure (Pers3) ranked once-daily Jerseys first and twice-daily Friesians last, and was negatively correlated with total yield in the Friesian herds and negatively correlated with peak yield in all herds. For most performance measures, cows milked twice daily had better total yields and persistency than cows milked once daily.

Animals↗

Genetic parameters of milk yield and composition and their relationships with alternative breeding goals.

Milk records on 32,077 Holstein cows in first lactation from 1116 herds on the Quebec Dairy Herd Analysis Service between 1973 and 1983 were used to estimate heritabilities of and genetic correlations between milk, fat, protein, and carrier (water, lactose, ash) yields; fat, protein, and carrier percentages; and ratios of protein to fat and protein plus fat to carrier. The cows were daughters of 451 sires; each sire was represented by five or more daughters. Heritabilities were from .20 to .31 for yields, .59 to .61 for percentages, and .58 to .61 for ratio measures. The heritability of protein yield was considerably lower than other yield traits (.20 vs. .28 to .31). The expected effects of multiple trait selection under 10 alternative breeding goals, using different sets of relative economic values, were considered using the genetic parameter estimates. Selection under the existing pricing system (milk yield plus fat percentage differential) had similar expected genetic gains for fat and protein yields as would be achieved under goals that either gave weight to milk yield and fat yield or to milk yield and the ratio of protein plus fat to carrier. Inclusion of information on protein percentage in an index gave relative little additional genetic progress in most traits, except some increases in protein yield and protein percentage were expected to be greater.

Animals↗

Multiplicative factors for estimation of daily milk and component yields from single morning or afternoon tests.

Prediction of daily yield from single a.m. or p.m. milkings requires factors that are the reciprocal of the proportion of total yield expected from single milkings given the milking interval. Further adjustments to estimated milk yield account for DIM. Factors used by the Cornell Dairy Records Processing Lab were estimated from data collected from August 1983 to November 1984. These factors appear to be biased. Inconsistent estimates of daily yield were observed monthly. New factors were developed using recent data. Factors from a.m. milkings for milk and protein yield were smaller than those currently in use. The reverse was true for fat yield. Covariants for DIM were larger than those currently used. Differences were observed when factors using data with known and assumed milking intervals were compared. Factors for a.m. milkings with known intervals were smaller than those from p.m. milkings with the same known intervals. Use of covariants for DIM were compared with covariants for single milk yield. The latter explained more variation in yield. Factors were tested on independent data. New factors with covariants for single milk yield performed best for estimation of total daily yield.

Animals↗

Estimates of genetic parameters for a test day model with random regressions for yield traits of first lactation Holsteins.

A model that contains both fixed and random linear regressions is described for analyzing test day records of dairy cows. Estimation of the variances and covariances for this model was achieved by Bayesian methods utilizing the Gibbs sampler to generate samples from the marginal posterior distributions. A single-trait model was applied to yields of milk, fat, and protein of first lactation Holsteins. Heritabilities of 305-d lactation yields were 0.32, 0.28, and 0.28 for milk, fat, and protein, respectively. Heritabilities of daily yields were greater than for 305-d yields and varied from 0.40 to 0.59 for milk yield, 0.34 to 0.68 for fat yield, and 0.33 to 0.69 for protein yield. The highest heritabilities were within the first 10 d of lactation for all traits. Genetic correlations between daily yields were higher as the interval between tests decreased, and correlations of daily yields with 305-d yields were greatest during midlactation.

Algorithms↗

Quantitative trait loci associated with improved fruit yield under heat-stress conditions in fresh-market tomato.

Rising temperatures and more frequent heat stress events pose a major challenge to global tomato production, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions such as the southern United States. High temperatures during flowering and fruit set lead to poor fruit set and reduced yield. Although several commercial cultivars and breeding lines are described as heat-tolerant, the genetic basis of yield performance under heat stress conditions in fresh-market tomato remains poorly understood. This study aimed to identify genomic regions associated with fruit yield under natural heat stress. A biparental recombinant inbred line (RIL) population developed by the UF/IFAS tomato breeding program was evaluated under natural field heat stress in the fall seasons of 2016, 2017, and 2018, with fruit yield recorded as the primary trait. Genotyping of RILs was performed with the AgriPlex commercial tomato panel. Multi-environment QTL analysis was conducted to identify loci associated with fruit yield under heat stress. A major locus on chromosome 12 was selected for validation. Backcross populations segregating for this region were evaluated in a randomized block design during the fall of 2020 at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC), Balm, Florida. Multi-environment QTL analysis identified several loci on chromosome 4, 5, 6, and 12 associated with fruit yield under natural heat stress conditions. Among these, a locus on chromosome 12 showed consistent effects across multiple harvests and environments and explained a relatively larger proportion of phenotypic variance. Validation using backcross populations confirmed that genotype carrying the chromosome 12 QTL produced significantly higher yield under natural heat stress than susceptible genotypes. Overall, this study identified an agronomically important region on chromosome 12 that can be targeted to improve tomato yield under heat stress. The results also highlight multiple genomic regions contributing to higher yield under heat stress. These findings provide a foundation for developing breeding strategies for developing heat-tolerant fresh-market tomato cultivars.

QTL analysis↗

Cooperative effect of factors governing molecular ion yields in desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

Factors governing the molecular ion yields of amino acids and peptides have been studied using fast atom bombardment (FAB) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) in positive-ion mode. The ion yields of protonated amino acids under FAB conditions are dependent on proton affinity (PA), hydrophobicity, and aromaticity of amino acids. Both PA and hydrophobicity contribute to an increase in the ion yields, while aromaticity contributes to a decrease. In MALDI, the ion yields increase linearly with the increase of PA of amino acids with the exception of lysine. In both FAB and MALDI experiments with peptides, the presence of arginine residues is essential for producing abundant protonated peptides. In FAB, the presence of aliphatic and hydrophobic amino acids (leucine and isoleucine) increases the ion yields of protonated peptides, while some hydrophilic amino acids (aspartic acid and asparagines) decrease the ion yields. The presence of two or more arginine residues does not give higher ion yields in FAB. In MALDI, the presence of aromatic amino acids (phenylalanine and tyrosine) enhances the signals for protonated peptides. Thus, physicochemical factors of individual amino acids cooperatively affect the ion yields of protonated amino acids and peptides. These factors governing the ion yields in FAB and MALDI affect two processes, desorption and ionization, that can be considered independently.

Angiotensins↗

Photobleaching of astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. Quantum-yields dependence of solvent, temperature, and wavelength of irradiation in relation to packaging and storage of carotenoid pigmented salmonoids.

The quantum yield for the photobleaching of astaxanthin (the carotenoid of wild salmonoids) and of canthaxanthin (the closely related carotenoid used as a feeding additive for farmed salmonoids) has been determined for monochromatic light at different wavelengths and in different solvents. Astaxanthin is less sensitive to light than canthaxanthin. The photobleaching is strongly wavelength dependent, and the quantum yield for astaxanthin dissolved in chloroform at 22 degrees C is 3.2 x 10(-1) mol.Einstein-1 at 254 nm, 3.1 x 10(-2) at 313 nm, and 1.6 x 10(-6) at 436 nm, respectively. The quantum yields are less dependent on the nature of the solvent and show no simple correlation with oxygen solubility, i.e. for 366 nm excitation of astaxanthin the quantum yields are 6.1 x 10(-5) mol.Einstein-1 in acetone, 1.2 x 10(-4) in saturated vegetable oil, 1.9 x 10(-4) in chloroform, and 3.4 x 10(-4) solubilized in water, respectively. The photobleaching quantum yield provides an objective measure of the light sensitivity of the carotenoids in relation to the discolouration of carotenoid-pigmented salmonoids. The quantum yield was also found to be independent of the carotenoid concentration and, in a homogenous solution, of light intensities. For astaxanthin solubilized in water, the quantum yield increases for low light intensities. Excitation of astaxanthin solubilized in water using visible light shows that the photobleaching quantum yield is independent of temperature, while excitation at 313 nm shows an increase in the quantum yield with increasing temperatures, corresponding to an energy of activation of 28 kJ.mol-1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Introgression of a quantitative trait locus for yield from Glycine soja into commercial soybean cultivars.

The value of exotic germplasm in broadening the genetic base of most crops has been demonstrated many times. However, the difficulties involved in working with exotic germplasm have limited their utility in plant breeding. Unwanted linkages often thwart the successful incorporation of beneficial exotic genes into commercial lines. Thus, the use of exotics in traditional breeding makes the process of crop improvement a tedious, time-consuming and expensive endeavor. The availability of molecular markers makes it possible to isolate specific genomic regions and transfer them into commercial varieties with minimal linkage drag. We found a yield-enhancing quantitative trait locus (QTL) from Glycine soja (Siebold and Zucc.) by evaluating a population of 265 BC(2) individuals from a cross between HS-1 and PI 407305. The yield QTL was located on linkage group B2(U26) of the soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] genetic linkage map. In a 2-year, multi-location study, individuals carrying the PI 407305 haplotype at the QTL locus demonstrated a 9.4% yield advantage over individuals that did not contain the exotic haplotype. When tested in a more uniform "HS-1-like" background in two locations, we observed an 8% yield advantage for lines that carry the PI 407305 haplotype. We further assessed the QTL effect in various elite soybean genetic backgrounds. The yield effect was consistently observed in only two of six genetic backgrounds. Individuals carrying the PI 407305 haplotype at the QTL locus had a 9% yield advantage in yield trials across locations. Despite the limited adaptability of this yield-QTL across genetic backgrounds, this study demonstrates the potential of exotic germplasm for yield enhancement in soybean.

Alleles↗

Mapping and characterisation of QTL x E interactions for traits determining grain and stover yield in pearl millet.

A mapping population of 104 F(3) lines of pearl millet, derived from a cross between two inbred lines H 77/833-2 x PRLT 2/89-33, was evaluated, as testcrosses on a common tester, for traits determining grain and stover yield in seven different field trials, distributed over 3 years and two seasons. The total genetic variation was partitioned into effects due to season (S), genotype (G), genotype x season interaction (G x S), and genotype x environment-within-season interaction [G x E(S)]. QTLs were determined for traits for their G, G x S, and G x E(S) effects, to assess the magnitude and the nature (cross over/non-crossover) of environmental interaction effects on individual QTLs. QTLs for some traits were associated with G effects only, while others were associated with the effects of both G and G x S and/or G, G x S and G x E(S) effects. The major G x S QTLs detected were for flowering time (on LG 4 and LG 6), and mapped to the same intervals as G x S QTLs for several other traits (including stover yield, harvest index, biomass yield and panicle number m(-2)). All three QTLs detected for grain yield were unaffected by G x S interaction however. All three QTLs for stover yield (mapping on LG 2, LG 4 and LG 6) and one of the three QTLs for grain yield (mapping on LG 4) were also free of QTL x E(S) interactions. The grain yield QTLs that were affected by QTL x E(S) interactions (mapping on LG 2 and LG 6), appeared to be linked to parallel QTL x E(S) interactions of the QTLs for panicle number m(-2) on (LG 2) and of QTLs for both panicle number m(-2) and harvest index (LG 6). In general, QTL x E(S) interactions were more frequently observed for component traits of grain and stover yield, than for grain or stover yield per se.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Loss of quantum yield in extremely low light.

It has generally been assumed that the photosynthetic quantum yield of all C3 plants is essentially the same for all unstressed leaves at the same temperature and CO2 and O2 concentrations. However, some recent work by H.C. Timm et al. (2002, Trees 16:47-62) has shown that quantum yield can be reduced for some time after leaves have been exposed to darkness. To investigate under what light conditions quantum yield can be reduced, we carried out a number of experiments on leaves of a partial-shade (unlit greenhouse)-grown Coleus blumei Benth. hybrid. We found that after leaves had been exposed to complete darkness, quantum yield was reduced by about 60%. Only very low light levels were needed for quantum yield to be fully restored, with 5 micromol quanta m(-2) s(-1) being sufficient for 85% of the quantum yield of fully induced leaves to be achieved. Leaves regained higher quantum yields upon exposure to higher light levels with an estimated time constant of 130 s. It was concluded that the loss of quantum yield would be quantitatively important only for leaves growing in very dense understoreys where maximum light levels might not exceed 5 micromol quanta m(-2) s(-1) even in the middle of the day. Most leaves, even in understorey conditions, do, however, experience light levels in excess of 5 micromol quanta m(-2) s(-1) over periods where they obtain most of their carbon so that the loss of quantum yield would affect total carbon gain of those leaves only marginally.

Carbon Dioxide↗