BRAINCAKEAgricultural Glasshouses and Limiting Factors
Commercial growers use glasshouses to control the conditions around crops so that the rate of photosynthesis, and so the yield, is as high as possible. They apply the principle of limiting factors: there is no point increasing one factor if another is limiting.
• Light intensity: artificial lighting increases light intensity in winter and can extend the day. Some lamps give mainly red and blue light, which chlorophyll absorbs best.
• Carbon dioxide concentration: burning paraffin or natural gas releases carbon dioxide, raising the concentration from about 0.04% to around 0.1%. Carbon dioxide can also be released from cylinders.
• Temperature: heaters keep the temperature near the optimum for the crop's enzymes. Burners also release heat, so they raise both carbon dioxide concentration and temperature. In summer, ventilation and shading prevent overheating.
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More in Energy for Biological Processes
- Limiting Factors of Photosynthesis
- Light Intensity as a Limiting Factor
- Carbon Dioxide Concentration as a Limiting Factor
- Temperature as a Limiting Factor
- Interpreting Limiting Factor Graphs
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- Investigating the Rate of Photosynthesis
All 17 lessons in Energy for Biological Processes · All AQA A-level Biology topics