WHOLE PLANT GAS EXCHANGE CHAMBER USING PRESSURIZATION AND VENTILATION OF SEPARATED CANOPY AND ROOT ZONES

摘要

A whole plant gas exchange apparatus employs a chamber having a first regionforaccommodating a growth medium and a root system of a whole plant, and a secondregion accommodating a canopy of the plant. The regions are separated by abarrier,except for an opening through which the stem of the plant is accommodated. Anairsource supplies incoming air to the second region through an intake. An airoutletconveys outgoing air from the second region to a gas sensor for analysis oftheoutgoing air after photosynthetic interaction with the plant canopy. A ventcommunicates the first region of the chamber to an ambient environment outsidethechamber. A resulting pressurized state of the second region is used to exhaustairfrom the first region through the vent in order to isolate this exhausted airfrom theanalyzed canopy air.