Will reducing rates of oxygen fixation by Rubisco result in the holy grail of gains to photosynethic efficiency or plants that can't hack it and keel over the instant they have to deal with real field conditions?
Haha, fair. I probably should've prefaced it with "something I'm curious about but which has no answer." Rubisco is the main enzyme responsible for turning carbon dioxide into something the plant can use, but it also has high affinity for oxygen, which causes it to undo its own work, and that property is part of the reason only around 2% of the light striking a leaf is converted into stored energy. Researchers have scratched their heads over Rubisco's apparent inefficiency but its ability to use oxygen as well as carbon dioxide might be a safety valve to prevent the buildup of high energy electrons (which can damage DNA and cell membranes) under conditions of low carbon dioxide availability (such as when a leaf closing its stomata to reduce water losses, which also prevents it from breathing).
Can we build a better rubisco? How fast would a plant working at 4% efficiency grow? No idea, but I find it interesting to think about.
Will reducing rates of oxygen fixation by Rubisco result in the holy grail of gains to photosynethic efficiency or plants that can't hack it and keel over the instant they have to deal with real field conditions?
Yes? No? I have no idea, sorry. I'm a hobbyist who enjoys identifying and caring for plants, not a biologist. Give it a try and let us know.
Haha, fair. I probably should've prefaced it with "something I'm curious about but which has no answer." Rubisco is the main enzyme responsible for turning carbon dioxide into something the plant can use, but it also has high affinity for oxygen, which causes it to undo its own work, and that property is part of the reason only around 2% of the light striking a leaf is converted into stored energy. Researchers have scratched their heads over Rubisco's apparent inefficiency but its ability to use oxygen as well as carbon dioxide might be a safety valve to prevent the buildup of high energy electrons (which can damage DNA and cell membranes) under conditions of low carbon dioxide availability (such as when a leaf closing its stomata to reduce water losses, which also prevents it from breathing).
Can we build a better rubisco? How fast would a plant working at 4% efficiency grow? No idea, but I find it interesting to think about.