Photorespiratory-induced senescence of plants under conditions of low carbon dioxide.

A light-induced senescence of soybeans at low carbon dioxide concentration has been characterized and ascribed to photorespiration. It is suggested that this system can be used to screen large numbers of plants for photorespiratory-deficient individuals of photorespiratory species. Optimal conditions for this senescence include a low CO(2) concentration, a temperature near 34 degrees , high light intensity, and a high oxygen concentration.