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lorax · 01-08-2009, 05:39 PM

Well, since it appears that photorespiration will occur in overly oxygen-rich environments, it would make sense to up the CO2 to the plants. I've done this for grapes by spraying them with a fire extinguisher, but I wouldn't risk that for my bananas.

However, it also only seems to be a problem for unaccustomed bananas in full sun in extremely hot and humid conditions (ie 80% humidity and low 50's), so for the most part, we don't need to be too too concerned about it. It also looks like bananas are C3 plants, for what that's worth, so they're theoretically more susceptible to photorespiration in full sun conditions. This said, they're not going to be photorespirating for a very sustained amount of time even in a heat snap. And I'd second whoever it was above that said that the tropical cultivars probably have a higher ceiling for PR than the high-altitude or cold-hardy ones.

edit - well, Scot, maybe you have to worry about it when it gets hot in your area.

I suppose that what I'm coming around to is that if your nanners are in shadier areas they'll be less suceptible to wasteful biological processes.

01-08-2009, 05:39 PM	#12 (permalink)
lorax Banned lorax's Photo Gallery Location: Ecuador, South America Find me on the map! Zone: USDA 13 / Köppen-Geiger BSh Name: Lorax Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 2,532 BananaBucks : 308,731 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 742 Times Was Thanked 3,040 Times in 1,188 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 464 Times	Re: Banana Growing Degree Days Well, since it appears that photorespiration will occur in overly oxygen-rich environments, it would make sense to up the CO2 to the plants. I've done this for grapes by spraying them with a fire extinguisher, but I wouldn't risk that for my bananas. However, it also only seems to be a problem for unaccustomed bananas in full sun in extremely hot and humid conditions (ie 80% humidity and low 50's), so for the most part, we don't need to be too too concerned about it. It also looks like bananas are C3 plants, for what that's worth, so they're theoretically more susceptible to photorespiration in full sun conditions. This said, they're not going to be photorespirating for a very sustained amount of time even in a heat snap. And I'd second whoever it was above that said that the tropical cultivars probably have a higher ceiling for PR than the high-altitude or cold-hardy ones. edit - well, Scot, maybe you have to worry about it when it gets hot in your area. I suppose that what I'm coming around to is that if your nanners are in shadier areas they'll be less suceptible to wasteful biological processes.