Effects of Fluctuating Light on Photosynthesis of Some Vegetables

Abstract

Effects of fluctuating light on the efficiency of photosynthetic light utilization of turnip, chinese cabbage and lettuce were investigated. Lettuce showed a higher ratio of rate of photosynthesis to light intensity under fluctuating light (frequency is 1-10Hz and duty cycle 1:1) than that under continuous light.
Re-evaluation of this result considering a nonlinearity of light-photosynthesis relations, however, showed that the higher efficiency could be achieved under continuous light of an average light intensity of fluctuating light.