Rates of Respiration and of Increase in Structural Dry Matter in Young Wheat, Ryegrass and Maize Plants in Relation to Temperature, to Water Stress and to Their Sugar Content

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Abstract
A method to determine the rate of conversion of reserve materials into structural dry matter in living, whole plants is presented. It is based on a brief measurement of plant respiration. The rate of increase in structural dry matter and of decrease of reserve materials is calculated by subtracting the maintenance respiration component from the total respiration. The remainder, the growth respiration rate, is multiplied by a factor that is derived from the biochemical composition of the structural dry matter formed. This method is applied to determine the relations of the rate of conversion of reserve material into structural dry matter to temperature, water stress and the level of reserve carbohydrates in plants of three species. The weakest part of the method is in the determination of the rate of maintenance respiration. Consequences of different assumptions concerning the rate of adjustment of this respiration component to modified environmental conditions are discussed.

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