Chapters authored
The Photosynthetic Characteristics of Wild Cymbidium faberi in the Qinling Mountains of Central China
The large flowers of orchids make them popular as cultivated plants. Seven species of orchids in the genus Cymbidium (Orchidaceae) have been crossbred to create more than 220 hybrids that serve as popular cultivated ornamentals. The present study examined the daily variation in the patterns of the net photosynthetic rate and the photosynthetic response of wild Cymbidium faberi in the Qinling Mountains in northwestern China. The photosynthetic characteristics of this species were studied under natural conditions with a portable photosynthesis system. Double peaks were observed in the net photosynthetic rate with one around 09:00 and another around 17:00 in spring, as well as one around 11:00 and another around 15:00 in winter. Midday depression of photosynthesis was observed in wild C. faberi plants around 13:00 in both spring and winter. The net photosynthetic rate was strongly positively correlated with both stomatal conductance (R = 0.913) and the transpiration rate (R = 0.659) and weakly negatively correlated with the intercellular carbon dioxide concentration (R = −0.094). The results show that the light compensation point (LCP) and the light saturation point (LSP) of wild C. faberi were 25.78 and 384 μmol m−2 s−1, respectively. The result provides reference for cultivation management especially in light management of Cymbidium.
Part of the book: Horticultural Crops