Photosynthetic enhancement spectra in higher plants

Enhancement spectra for photosynthesis of intact leaves of higherplants were investigated by means of the rate of CO₂ absorptionunder atmospheric conditions. Enhancement spectra for photosystem(system)II measured with a reference beam of 700 nm had twopronounced peaks at about 480 and 650 nm and lower humps at540–600 nm in all of the nine species tested. By the useof a rice mutant which lacks chlorophyll b, it was revealedthat the 650-nm peak and the middle humps in the spectrum canbe attributed mostly to chlorophyll b absorption, whereas the480-nm peak must be due to the absorption of carotenoids andchlorophyll b. Enhancement for system I in wheat had a peakat about 715 nm, and the maximum was much higher than that ofthe enhancement for system II. Enhancement between a red anda farred light for wheat was much greater for the farred lightthan for the red light in the presence of an excess amount ofthe other light. These results demonstrate that the enhancementphenomenon in higher plants is essentially the same as thatin green algae. (Received November 30, 1977; )