Inhibition of respiration by light in Coffea arabica

Describing gas exchange between plants and the atmosphere is essential to improve current estimates of fluxes and carbon stocks. Light is directly related to gas exchange; when plants are under low light intensities, there is an increase in photosynthetic quantum yield and, consequently, in respiratory rate. That means there is an apparent inhibition of respiration under high light intensity, a phenomenon known as the Kok effect. Considering the effect of light and leaf age, the aim of this study was to describe the physiological responses of daytime gas exchange related to leaves of different ages in Coffea arabica L. cv. Catuaí Vermelho, seeking to identify leaf respiration inhibition by light. The experiment was conducted at the Universidade Federal de Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Leaves were measured using an infrared gas analyzer (IRGA; LI-6400XT, LI-COR, Lincoln, NE, USA) and the fluxes were measured to create a light response curve in “in situ”, thus obtaining photosynthetic parameters, used to estimate light and dark respiration, also the rate of inhibition of leaf respiration by light throughout the leaf age. The assimilation (A_sat) and quantum efficiency did not differ among young, mature, and old leaves, showing that photosynthetic process was not affected by leaf age; however, light and dark respiration were higher in young and mature leaves than in old leaves. Inhibition of respiration by light was similar among leaf ages, assuming the occurrence of inhibition of respiration caused by light (the Kok effect).