There are many biological processes that occur, some simultaneously, in a living plant. Some processes continue even after the cultivar is harvested like in the case of the curing process.
Gas exchange
Plants draw in CO2, Oxygen, and water vapor from the air around them via the Stomata. These compounds are essential to other processes such as photosynthesis and Respiration. Airflow/wind speed has a strong effect on transpiration rate, gas exchange, and photosynthesis[1].
Photosynthesis
The Cannabis plant photosynthesizes in the presence of light like most plants. It uses carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and ribulose bisphosphate (an organic carbon compound) for photosynthesis, so it is categorized as a C3 plant.
C3 carbon fixation in photosynthesis leads to several characteristics:
- Thrives where CO2 concentration is > 200ppm
- Cannot survive in very hot environments
- Loses 97% of water via transpiration
Respiration
In the dark plants respire instead of photosynthesizing. In this period they uptake Oxygen and expel Carbon dioxide via Gas exchange.
Circadian rhythm
Like animals, plants also have a Circadian rhythm, a sort of internal biological clock that is programmed by external stimuli. It has been shown that matching a plant's environment to its natural circadian rhythm can increase photosynthesis[2][3]
More on circadian rhythm in plants[4]
Plant responses to circadian rhythm
Life cycle
Seedling
Vegatitive
Flowering
References
- ↑ https://doi.org/10.1016/S0273-1177(02)00747-0 - Effects of air current speed on gas exchange in plant leaves and plant canopies (2003)
- ↑ https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.1115581 - Plant Circadian Clocks Increase Photosynthesis, Growth, Survival, and Competitive Advantage (2005)
- ↑ https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00245 - Interactions between circadian clocks and photosynthesis for the temporal and spatial coordination of metabolism (2015)
- ↑ https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.106.040980 Plant Circadian Rhythms - C. Robertson McClung April 2006