Effects of water stress, temperature, prolonged darkness and pods on photosynthesis and respiration of individual leaves of Vicia faba

Respiration rate and photosynthesís of individual leaves developed at different phenological phases were followed in irrigated and water stressed plants of Vícía faba L., growing under controlled conditions. The results showed that water stress decreased the photosynthetic capacity of all leaves considered. However, it had no effect on the respiration rates of the same leaves. Also the presence of pods had an effect on the photosynthetic rate of a leaf developed duringthe podfllling phase, but did not affect its respiration rate. Respiration rate of irrigated and water stressed leaves developed at the vegetative and flowering phase did not show any significant difference (p<0.05) with increasing temperature. However, a difference was shown for a leaf developed at podfilling phase. The maintenance respiration was shown to be statistically (p