Physiological Changes in Sesbania Species to Reducing Light Intensities

Sesbania sesban and S. grandiflora were studied for their physiological characters under different light intensities (100, 75, 50 and 25 %) in a natural environment for 4 months. Rate of photosynthesis (PN) and stomatal conductance (CS) significantly decreased with decreasing light intensities and with intensity reduced to half the full sun light under high shading i.e. at 25 % light intensity, whereas the intercellular CO2 concentration increased with decreasing light intensities in both the species. The reduction in PN was more in S. grandiflora than S. sesban. S. sesban maintained higher carboxylation efficiency under shade condition as compared to S. grandiflora. Rate of transpiration and water use efficiency (PN/TR) decreased while leaf diffusion resistance increased significantly with decreasing light intensities. Total chlorophyll content was maximal under 50 % light intensity in both plant species. Accumulation of chl b increased but chl a decreases under low light intensities. The higher accumulation of chl b in S. sesban under shade predicted its shade adaptability. The total protein content and NRA reduced under low light intensities. The overall rate of photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, carboxylation efficiency and water‐use efficiency were higher in S. sesban as compared to S. grandiflora, indicating its better adaptability under shade condition and that it may be suitable to grow under stress in agroforestry systems in semi‐arid tropics.