TITLE	Photosynthetic performances of transplanted Cypripedium flavum plants
AUTHOR	Shi-Bao Zhang Kunming Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, P.R. China Hong Hu Kunming Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, P.R. China Zhe-Kun Zhou Kunming Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, P.R. China Kun Xu Kunming Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, P.R. China Ning Yan Kunming Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, P.R. China Shu-Yun Li Kunming Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, P.R. China
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ABSTRACT	To explore the conservation and cultivation of Cypripedium flavum at comparatively lower altitudes, a study on variations in photosynthetic characteristics was conducted on C. flavum plants from the high mountains of the eastern Himalayas. Plants of same size (6 leaves, 35-40 cm height) were selected from Tianshengqiao (alt. 3,450 m) and planted at the gardens at Zhongdian (alt. 3,200 m) and Kunming (alt. 1,900 m). The leaves of C. flavum at Tianshengqiao and Zhongdian exhibited higher photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, apparent quantum yield, and carboxylation efficiency than their counterparts at Kunming. The optimal temperatures for photosynthesis of C. flavum plants growing at Tianshengqiao, Zhongdian, and Kunming were 18, 19 and 21°C, respectively. The optimal temperature also increased with increasing photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). However, the photosynthetic responses of C. flavum to PAR were similar at the three sites. The photosynthesis reached light saturation at the PAR of 746-832 µmol m-2s-1. The inability of C. flavum to acclimate to higher temperature resulted in the depression of photosynthetic rate at the lower altitude (Kunming). The results suggest that C. flavum adapts poorly to the warmer temperatures at low altitudes. It can be cultivated at a lower attitude, but proper agronomical methodology will need to be developed for better growth.
KEYWORD	Cultivation; Cypripedium flavum; Gas exchange; Optimal photosynthetic temperature; Photosynthetic capacity;
ARTICLE INFO	Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Volume 46 Number 4 October 2005, page 307-313, 7 pages
PUBLISHER	Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China