Study on the Photosynthetic Characteristics of Eucommia ulmoides Leaves

A field study on the photosynthetic characteristics in Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. was conducted using a LI-6200 Portable Photosynthesis Analysis System as a measuring device and the modified half-leaf method. It was revealed that the light-saturating photosynthetic rate measured in leaves was in a range of 6~10 μmol CO2 · m-2 · s-1, and the lowest apparent quantum requirement was about 17. The CO2 compensation concentration of photosynthesis was a little more than 100μmol · mol-1 indicating that E. ulmoides was a C3 type plant. Besides stomatal limitation, photoinhibition of photosynthesis was a possible cause of the midday depression in photosynthetic rate. Only about 14 percent of the photosynthetic product was transported from the leaves during photosynthesis.