Category: Research Blog

Increasing carbon fixation through the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle is a viable strategy to boost crop yields, as has been demonstrated through both experimental and modelling approaches.  In this review, Andralojc et al outline the most recent advancements in this research field.  The authors…

Plant growth is often limited by the availability of nitrogen (N), which is required to synthesise monomers and macromolecules, and is especially important in the synthesis of the carbon assimilating enzymes of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle.  In this article, Kelly has demonstrated that photosynthetic…

A major factor in determining photosynthetic rate is the availability of CO2 at the site of fixation in the chloroplast stroma.  Classically, this has been thought to be mainly limited by stomatal conductance (diffusion from the air, through stomata, to sub-stomatal cavities).  However, more recently…

Mesophyll CO2 conductance (gm) is an important factor in determining the concentration of CO2 at the site of fixation in the chloroplast stroma, and as such is crucial for determining photosynthetic capacity.  The mesophyll cell wall provides a major site of resistance to CO2 diffusion into the stroma…

It is relatively simple to determine net O2 flux in leaves.  However, this data provides no information on the underlying processes responsible for this flux, namely gross oxygen production (GOP, water splitting), mitochondrial respiration in light, Rubisco oxygenation, and photorespiration.  In this…

It is well understood that abscisic acid (ABA) inhibits PPC2A phosphatase activity, which subsequently relieves phosphate-induced inhibition of a kinase interacting partner. This pathway composes the ‘core’ ABA signaling pathway, activating process involved in the ABA response such as stomatal closure…

Cell wall is the outermost boundary for a cell. For the protection of cell, it maintains its rigidity. At the same time, for providing the shape of cells, it is capable of becoming flexible. This means that the cell wall has the capacity to maintain both rigidity and flexibility based on the requirement.…