Gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters of ornamental bromeliads

Abstract

Gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence are widely used in physiological and ecological studies; however, few studies have used these techniques with ornamental plants. This study tested the potential contribution of gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence to evaluate the water and nutrients uptake by the tank and root system of epiphyte bromeliad Guzmania lingulata. For this purpose, we conducted an experiment with different water regime and another with different concentrations of nitrogen. The experiments were: 1 - Watering: Control (application of water into Tank and Root), Tank (watering into Tank), Root (watering Root) and Drought (water suspension during the 90 days of experimentation) and 2 - Nitrogen: Plants fertilized with Hoagland and Arnon nutrient solution exclusively into Tank or Root with nitrogen concentrations of control and 2.62 or 5.34 mM N applied as urea. The Fv /Fm ratio allowed comparing the treatments between experiments, demonstrating that Root and Tank both have the capacity to maintain G. lingulata photosynthetic activity and growth, while Drought treatment (water suspension) was the limiting factor for energy conversion efficiency of PSII. However, gas exchange was more permissive as a parameter for comparing treatments in the nitrogen experiment, providing important information about the general aspects of the photosynthetic process in the watering experiment. Both gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence can support the evaluation of G. lingulata physiological status and can be useful tools in ornamental horticultural studies.