The effect of increased CO2 concentration on the dark respiration rate of etiolated wheat seedlings

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Mercia) seedlings grown in full darkness were used for separate measurements of shoot and root dark respiration (R(D)) under 0 mu l(CO2) l(-1) (R(D)(0)) and 660 mu l(CO2) l(-1) (R(D)(660)). R(D)(660) was inhibited, on average, by 24 % (R(D)(660) = 0.74 * R(D)(0), r(2) = 0.914) although the measured samples differed in both the proportion of growth to maintenance respiration and the amount of reserve material.