Low-Cost System for Maintaining Low Atmospheric CO Levels During Arabidopsis Cultivation.

Photosynthesis requires CO as the carbon source, and the levels of ambient CO determine the oxygenation or carboxylation of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) by RuBP carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco). Low CO levels lead to oxygenation and result in photorespiration, which ultimately causes a reduction in net carbon assimilation through photosynthesis. Therefore, an increased understanding of plant responses to low CO contributes to the knowledge of how plants circumvent the harmful effects of photorespiration. Methods for elevating CO above ambient concentrations are often achieved by external sources of CO but reducing CO below the ambient value is much more difficult as CO gas needs to be scrubbed from the atmosphere rather than added to it. Here, we describe a low-cost method of achieving low CO conditions for Arabidopsis growth.