PARENT SESSION
Posters P3B Photosynthetic acclimation: Ecophysiology, diverse environments. Abstracts (479-522)

Stomata patchiness in Mesua ferrea. Elizabeth PHILIP^*,1, Hawa Jaafar², Mohd Rizal Mohd Kassim¹, ¹ Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kuala Lumpur, K, Malaysia² Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor,DE, Malaysia

ABSTRACT- Mesua ferrea is a heavy hardwood. It is used extensively in heavy construction, heavy-duty flooring and furniture. In addition, it is becoming a popular ornamental due to it colourful and dense foliage. It has a regular, conical bushy crown with vivid green leaves and showy, fragrant flowers. A study was conducted to determine the growth and development of M.ferrea when planted in urban areas. The physiological parameters, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and fluorescence measurement were taken over a period of two years and compared at different growing sites. M.ferrea is a very slow growing tree with a photosynthetic rate of about 6 umol m-2 s-1. Erratic stomatal conductance was noted when planted in polluted areas. This paper attempts to explain the reasons for this.

KEY WORDS: stomatal conductance, mesua ferrea, urban areas