Some characteristics on the control of CO
2concentration were tested with the automatic CO
2controlling and recording system, which was attached to the newly constructed phytotron.
The mode of action of this system is as follows (see Fig. 1) ;
1, The CO
2concentration in the chamber (90 × 90 × 120 cm
3) or room is able to be controlled at arbitral concentration from 0 to 3, 000 ppm. And CO
2uptake and exhaust are measured at the same time.
2. In the light, CO
2enriched air of arbitral concentration, which is selected to be most suitable for the control of the concentration in the chamber or room, is stored in a gas holder by on-off action, and is flown to the chamber or room through the controlling system.
3. CO
2concentration in the chamber or room is controlled by compound PID (parallel, integral and differential) action of flow rate control valuve from the result of CO
2analysis.
4. In the dark, CO
2increase is controlled by CO
2free air from CO
2absorbing column of moleculer shieve.
5. In the natural light condition, the shift of action from the light to the dark or its reverse action is switched automatically by the signal from the CO
2analyzer of the chamber or room (Fig. 2) .
Using this system, the effect of inlet CO
2concentration upon CO
2uptake of tobacco plants was measured. The CO
2uptake was not affected by the inlet CO
2concentration, however (Table 1) .
Also the effect of CO
2concentration in the chamber upon the CO
2uptake by the plants was tested. The satulation point to CO
2concentration under the artificial light condition of 0.75 cal⋅cm
-2⋅min
-1 was about 1, 200 ppm (Fig. 3) .
The photosynthesis-light curves were figured from the results of the measurement of diurnal changes in net CO
2exchange. Then it was obseved that the tobacco plants in the chamber were satulated with light at the light intensity about 0.75 cal⋅cm
-2⋅min
-1 (Figs. 4, 5) .
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