It is widely recognised that photosynthesis in many important crops is well below its theoretical potential. With crop yields and stability under threat from the impact of climate change, there is now an urgent need to synthesise existing research on best practices for improving C3 photosynthesis in crops to optimise sustainable crop production and yields. Understanding and improving crop photosynthesis reviews the wealth of current research that addresses this challenge. The book explores our understanding of the general components of C3 photosynthesis, including its biochemistry, as well as the recent advances in techniques for improving photosynthesis, focussing primarily on light harvesting and optimising chloroplast function/light conversion. Through providing its readers with a comprehensive exploration of crop photosynthesis, the book showcases how farmers can utilise their understanding of the science behind this key process to optimise their yields and achieve successful crop production.
Key Features:
- Provides a comprehensive review of the wealth of research which addresses how to sustainably achieve higher yields through improving the rate of C₃ photosynthesis in crops
- Assesses current practices implemented to optimise photosynthesis in crops, including the modification of crop elements such as leaf/canopy architecture
- Explores our understanding of the biophysics, biochemistry and genetics of C₃ photosynthesis in crops and how this can be used to improve photosynthesis in C4 and C₃ crops
Table of Contents
Part 1 General
Part 2 Improving photosynthesis: light harvesting
Part 3 Improving photosynthesis: optimising chloroplast function/light conversion
About the Editor
Dr Robert Sharwood is Senior Lecturer and Vice Chancellor’s Fellow in the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment and the School of Science at Western Sydney University, Australia. He was formerly an ARC DECRA Fellow at the Australian National University. Dr Sharwood is internationally known for his research on understanding and improving photosynthetic biochemistry in plants to produce more resilient crops in the face of climate change.Lisa Ainsworth is the Research Leader of the USDA ARS Global Change and Photosynthesis Research Unit and Professor of Plant Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She has held leadership roles in the American Society of Plant Biologists, the International Society for Photosynthesis Research and the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences. In 2019, Lisa was awarded the National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food and Agricultural Sciences and was an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2020.
