Effects of shading on photosynthetic characteristics of wax apple leaves

Abstract

The wax apple (Syzygium samarangense) is a highly valuable fruit species in Southeast Asia. To regulate the fruiting season, shading is commonly used to induce flowering in wax apple. However, the effects of shading on the growth of wax apple is not well understood. To address this, we conducted a study analyzing the photosynthetic characteristics of wax apple leaves under 40% and 90% shading rates. Our findings revealed that shading had a significant impact on the photosynthesis and branching tip development of wax apple. During shading treatments, the chlorophyll contents of the leaves increased to enhance light absorption efficiency. In the 40% shading treatment, the primary factor causing the decrease in net photosynthetic rate was stomatal limitation, while in the 90% shading treatment, both stomatal and non-stomatal limitations contributed to the decrease in net photosynthetic rate. These results are indications that sheading plays a key role in chlorophyll and photosynthesis in wax apple. These results will have led to a new research direction for genetic crop improvement.

Keywords

• chlorophyll contents
• flowering
• photosynthetic characteristics
• shading
• wax apple