Plant calorimetry. Part 2. Modeling the differences between apples and oranges

In a previous review we discussed calorimetric methods for the study of plant metabolism. Since that review, a number of papers describing calorimetric measurements examining plant growth, stress responses and effects of temperature have appeared. This recent work is reviewed here.

In addition to the experimental work, a mechanistic model linking respiration rates to growth has been published. This model is derived from both mass and enthalpy balance equations. It describes specific growth rate and substrate carbon conversion efficiency as functions of the metabolic heat rate, the rate of CO₂ production, the mean oxidation state of the substrate carbon produced by photosynthesis, and enthalpy changes for conversion of photosynthate to biomass and CO₂. Application of this model to understanding the basis for variation in growth rates among individual genotypes in plants is reviewed.

The effects of environment on the plant respiration-growth relation has been an important focus for plant calorimetry studies. Climatic temperature is one of the most important variables determining growth. Extremes of temperature determine limits of growth, and diurnal variation and mean temperature have a major influence on growth rate. Calorimetric measurements of respiratory rates as a function of temperature can be used to relate the temperature influence on respiratory metabolism to the temperature influence on growth rate. These studies have also discovered the existence of an isokinetic point within the range of normal growth temperatures. Studies of temperature dependence are reviewed and the results analyzed in terms of the recently published mechanistic model.