SIMULTANEOUS ETHANE AND ETHYLENE DETECTION USING A CO-OVERTONE LASER PHOTOACOUSTIC SPECTROMETER: A NEW TOOL FOR STRESS/DAMAGE STUDIES IN PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

Abstract

Abstract The simultaneous measurement of the C2H6 and C2H4 emission by plant material is known to be a good stress/damage indicator. A photoacoustic spectrometer, utilizing the CO-Overtone laser, has been used for such measurements for the first time. For the simultaneous online detection of C2H6 and C2H4 in plant physiological studies, a sensitivity was achieved of 370 ppt and 2 ppb, respectively. The performance of the system has been demonstrated measuring the stress/damage behaviour of rhododendron leaves after the application of freezing stress.