Greater mesophyll conductance and leaf photosynthesis in the field through modified cell wall porosity and thickness via AtCGR3 expression in tobacco.

Mesophyll conductance (g) describes the ease with which CO passes from the sub-stomatal cavities of the leaf to the primary carboxylase of photosynthesis, Rubisco. Increasing g is suggested as a means to engineer increases in photosynthesis by increasing [CO] at Rubisco, inhibiting oxygenation and accelerating carboxylation. Here, tobacco was transgenically up-regulated with Arabidopsis Cotton Golgi-related 3 (CGR3), a gene controlling methylesterification of pectin, as a strategy to increase CO diffusion across the cell wall and thereby increase g.

Response to Comments on "Soybean photosynthesis and crop yield is improved by accelerating recovery from photoprotection".

We recently demonstrated that accelerating the relaxation of nonphotochemical quenching leads to higher soybean photosynthetic efficiency and yield. In response, Sinclair . assert that improved photosynthesis cannot improve crop yields and that there is only one valid experimental design for proving a genetic improvement in yield.

Soybean photosynthesis and crop yield are improved by accelerating recovery from photoprotection.

Crop leaves in full sunlight dissipate damaging excess absorbed light energy as heat. This protective dissipation continues after the leaf transitions to shade, reducing crop photosynthesis. A bioengineered acceleration of this adjustment increased photosynthetic efficiency and biomass in tobacco in the field.

Morphological, structural and functional properties of starch granules extracted from the tubers and seeds of Sphenostylis stenocarpa.

Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst. ex A. Rich.

Structural and physicochemical characterization of Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Harms tuber starch.

Several characteristics of African Yam Bean tuber starch (AYB) were studied and compared with that of a well-known native potato starch (P). The diameter of AYB granules ranged from 5.7μ to 49μ with a median at 19.