Effect of $TO_3$ and $NO_2$ on Net Photosynthesis, Transpiration and Accumulation of Nitrite in Sunflower Leaves

Photosynthesis and transpiration rates were simultaneously measured in attached sunflower leaves(Helianthus annuusL. cv. Russian Mammoth) during exposure to $NO_2$ and $O_3$ to determine the effect of mixed gan on photosynthesis and the stomatal aperture. The application of $O_3$ alone reduced both the net photosynthetic and transpiration rates. An analysis of the $CO_2$ diffusive resistances indicated that the main cause affecting photosynthesis reduction during $O_3$ exposure was not the internal gas phase of the leaf $(rCO_2^{liq})$ but rather the liquid phase or mesophyll diffusive resistance $(rCO_2^{liq})$, suggesting that there is a very concomitant relation between photosynthetic reduction and $rCO_2^{liq}$. The application of NO2 alone caused a marked reduction of the net photosynthesis yet no significant reduction of transpiration, indicating that NO2 affects the $CO_2$ fixation processes with no inluence on the stomatal aperture. A greter reduction in the photosynthesis of sunflower plants was caused by the application of $NO_2$ alone as compared to a combination of $NO_2$ and $O_3$. $NO_2$ alone reduced the photosynthetic rate by 90%, whereas a mixture of NO2 and O3 reduced it by 50%.