Abstract
Abstract The investigation reported here was designed to provide a physiological explanation for the grain yield increases which resulted from whitening of dryland sorghum crop canopy ( Sorghum bicolor L. Moench ‘Hazera 726’) by a kaolin suspension spray. Two years of field measurements of labelled CO 2 uptake rates, on kaolin‐coated and uncoated sorghum leaves, showed that the kaolin coating caused a 23% decrease of net photosynthesis similar to the 26% reduction of solar radiation absorption measured with a spectrophotometer immediately after the spray. The reduction in net photosynthesis persisted for several weeks and was actually larger 6 weeks after the last kaolin application. Measurements of the dynamics of light dependent CO 2 uptake made on leaves of different ages with a series of neutral filters and independent measurements of green leaf area confirmed enhanced senescence of the kaolin‐coated leaves. By contrast, field measurements with a diffusion porometer demonstrated only minor reductions in the leaf surface diffusion resistance of kaolin‐coated leaves. It is concluded that, for the sorghum crop examined, the primary effect of kaolin sprays was to reduce the rate of photosynthesis, both by decreased light absorption and by enhanced senescence. Finally, a possible explanation is offered to reconcile the reduction in photosynthesis with the observed increase in the grain yield of the treated crop.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Kaolin coating reduced sorghum net photosynthesis by 23%.
SorghumNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the kaolin coating caused a 23% decrease of net photosynthesis”
e1“sorghum leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
Kaolin coating reduced solar radiation absorption by 26% immediately after spraying.
- Treatment
- kaolin coatinge1
- Outcome
- solar radiation absorptione0
- Direction
- reductione0
- Value
- 26%e0
- Qualifier
- immediately after the spraye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“26% reduction of solar radiation absorption measured with a spectrophotometer immediately after the spray”
e1“kaolin coating caused a 23% decrease”
e2“sorghum leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
The photosynthesis reduction persisted for weeks and was larger six weeks after the last kaolin application.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The reduction in net photosynthesis persisted for several weeks and was actually larger 6 weeks after the last kaolin application”
e1“sorghum leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
Kaolin-coated leaves showed enhanced senescence.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“confirmed enhanced senescence of the kaolin‐coated leaves”
e1“sorghum leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
Kaolin-coated leaves had only minor reductions in leaf surface diffusion resistance.
- Treatment
- kaolin‐coatede0
- Outcome
- leaf surface diffusion resistancee0
- Direction
- reductionse0
- Qualifier
- minore0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“only minor reductions in the leaf surface diffusion resistance of kaolin‐coated leaves”
e1“sorghum leaves”
Claim · model-written summary
Authors attribute the reduced photosynthesis to lower light absorption and enhanced senescence.
- Treatment
- kaolin sprayse0
- Outcome
- rate of photosynthesise0
- Direction
- reducee0
- Qualifier
- decreased light absorption and by enhanced senescencee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the primary effect of kaolin sprays was to reduce the rate of photosynthesis, both by decreased light absorption and by enhanced senescence”
e1“sorghum crop examined”
Claim · model-written summary
Kaolin-treated sorghum had increased grain yield.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“observed increase in the grain yield of the treated crop”
e1“sorghum crop examined”
e2“kaolin sprays”
The same questions in other papers
kaolin · yield · SorghumResults agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
application · yield · SorghumPositive and negative results
80 papers in the same direction as this paper · 6 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- negative
- no effect
- negative
84 papers more in this group
See all 88 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.