Vol. 10, issue 04-05, article # 6

Abstract:

The response of vegetation to stress is characterized by the activation of respiration process and by an increase of the carbon dioxide emission. The results of a series of measurements of kinetics of the carbon dioxide emission by herbaceous plants and leaves of various trees are discussed for cases of the impact from ethylene and carbon dioxide of high concentration as well as for low air pressure influences (so-called hypobaria). The measurements of the CO₂ emission kinetics have been performed using a tunable cw CO₂ laser-based photoacoustic spectrometer. These results, supplemented with biochemistry data, allow one to detect the structure and functional changes in the plant studied under stress environmental conditions.