A guide to photosynthetic gas exchange measurements: fundamental principles, best practice and potential pitfalls

Authors: BUSCH, FLORIAN - University Of Birmingham; Ainsworth, Elizabeth; AMTMANN, ANNA - University Of Glasgow; CAVANAGH, AMANDA - University Of Essex; DRIEVER, STEVEN - Wageningen University; FERGUSON, JOHN - University Of Essex; KROMDIJK, JOHANNES - University Of Cambridge; LAWSON, TRACY - University Of Essex; LEAKEY, ANDREW - University Of Illinois; MATTHEWS, JACK - University Of Essex; MEACHAM-HENSOLD, KATHERINE - University Of Illinois; VATH, RICHARD - University Of Cambridge; VIALET-CHABRAND, S - Wageningen University; WALKER, BERKLEY - Michigan State University; PAPANATSIOU, MARIA - University Of Glasgow

Submitted to: Plant Cell and Environment
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/31/2024
Publication Date: 2/6/2024
Citation: Busch, F.A., Ainsworth, E.A., Amtmann, A., Cavanagh, A.P., Driever, S.M., Ferguson, J.N., Kromdijk, J., Lawson, T., Leakey, A.D.B., Matthews, J., Meacham-Hensold, K., Vath, R., Vialet-Chabrand, S., Walker, B., Papanatsiou, M. 2024. A guide to photosynthetic gas exchange measurements: fundamental principles, best practice and potential pitfalls. Plant Cell and Environment. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.14815.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.14815

Interpretive Summary: Infrared gas analysis is widely used by scientists to study water and carbon dioxide exchange by leaves. Commercial systems for measuring photosynthesis and stomatal conductance to water provide the ability to rapidly assess many plants in diverse ecosystems. In this paper, we provide an overview of the biochemistry and biophysics that underpin infrared gas analysis. We describe processes that can be investigated with gas exchange measurements, parameters that can be estimated, and a guide to collecting gas exchange data.

Technical Abstract: For decades, gas exchange techniques using infrared gas analyzers (IRGAs) have been widely used to measure the physiological performance of leaves and to assess the biochemical capacity for photosynthesis. Measurements of leaf-level gas exchange enable mechanistic understanding of carbon and water fluxes and inform understanding of ecosystem function. While several introductory guides to gas exchange have been published, most focus on a particular measurement technique. In this paper, we provide an overview of the biochemical and biophysical photosynthetic processes that can be investigated with gas exchange measurements and outline the parameters that can be estimated. We then discuss suitable approaches for quantifying these parameters with photosynthetic gas exchange techniques.