SEASONAL PATTERN OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC RATE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT, RIBULOSE-1,5-BISPHOSPHATE CARBOXYLASE ACTIVITY AND BIOMASS PRODUCTION

Net photosynthetic rate (P-N), ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase ( RuBPC) activity, chlorophyll (Chi) content and biomass production were estimated at monthly intervals in Chukrasia tabularis, Dolichandrone atrovirens, Eugenia jambolana, Gmelina arborea, Lannea coromandelica, Terminalia arjuna and Terminalia bellerica from September 1990 to Augu st 1991. The leaves of all the seven tree species showed significantly higher P-N during summer than in winter and these rates differed from one species to the other. A positive correlation was found between P- N of different tree species and their Chi content or biomass productio n. There was no significant correlation between ribulose-1,5-bisphosph ate carboxylase activity and P-N when these were expressed on leaf are a basis.