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Does anyone know of any plant that absorbs co2 better than another ?

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If you google C4 metabolism, you'll get started on the right course.

Amaranth is a C4 blood red beauty.

~~SA


Pyrolysis creates reduced carbon! ...Time for the next step in our evolutionary symbiosis with fire.
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Jimmjinva asked:

"Does anyone know of any plant that absorbs co2 better than another?"

I presume that, in general, the faster a plant grows the more CO2 it absorbs.

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Yes, the plants with C4 metabolism fix 4 carbons per unit energy compared with the plants using C3 metabolism (fixing 3 carbons/unit energy).

C4 plants tend to grow faster.

~SA


Pyrolysis creates reduced carbon! ...Time for the next step in our evolutionary symbiosis with fire.
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Thanks Sam.

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There is a tremendous range in the growth rates of C3 and C4 plants. So much so that these ranges overlap.

TerrytNZ is correct. Fast growth is the most direct measure. You may also want to consider the plant's life cycle. Woody, long lived plants will sequester C for a long time, obviously, while much of the biomass of fast growing grasses will be available for decomposition at the end of the growing season.

Climatic region is also important. You can sequester a lot of C with loblolly pines in the southeastern US, but will sequester none with that species in the northeast.


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Thanks for your input!
Is the loblolly pine the same as Virginia pine?
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Would Alfalfa grass or orchard grass be considered a c4 or c3 plant?

Looking at replinishing some cleared land.

How about Christmas trees?

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Don't know about C4 or C3 but I think alfalfa is a nitrogen fixer. Would improve fertility for your next crop.

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Originally Posted By: jmmjinva
Thanks for your input!
Is the loblolly pine the same as Virginia pine?
G


No. If you're in Virginia, forget loblolly. They're really for timber production, anyway. Not the purtiest of trees.


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I believe all C4 plants are in the grass family, including corn and sorghum. Switchgrass might also be a C4.

Don't choose to grow a plant based on the pathway it uses for photosynthesis. If you are a small landowner who is not interested in deriving income by harvesting plant materials from your land, plant it for your enjoyment.

Native woody plants will sequester C from the atmosphere. They'll be relatively care-free after establishment. Woody plants will be better at C sequestration than grasses and other herbaceous plants. That being said, if you need a place for the kids/dogs/what have you to run around on, you'll need some grass. You'll want some flowers. Maybe you want a veg/herb garden.

If you derive anything from the above babble, it should be:

-plant as much to woody vegetation as possible;
-go with natives, if possible.
-don't worry about THE most efficient CO2 absorber.


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I agree with soilguy on this. It can get pretty complex:

Abstract The quantum yield for CO2 uptake was measured in C3 and C4 monocot species from several different grassland habitats. When the quantum yield was measured in the presence of 21% O2 and 340 cm3 m-3 CO2, values were very similar in C3 monocots, C3 dicots, and C4 monocots (0.045–0.056 mole CO2 · mole-1 quanta absorbed). In the presence of 2% O2 and 800 cm3 m-3 CO2, enhancements of the quantum yield values occurred for the C3 plants (both monocots and dicots), but not for C4 monocots. A dependence of the quantum yield on leaf temperature was observed in the C3 grass, Agropyron smithii, but not in the C4 grass, Bouteloua gracilis, in 21% O2 and 340 cm3 m-3 CO2. At leaf temperatures between 22–25°C the quantum yield values were approximately equal in the two species.
Key words C3 photosynthesis - C4 photosynthesis - grasses - quantum yield

---
You might also check into plants with big taproots. Taproots sequester a lot of CO2.

~Samwik


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In this part of the World we see Radiata Pine being imported for construction. Terry will be familiar with this. The first time I saw it I thought, "Look at the growth rings on this stuff, it can't be any good." Serious, growth rings 10mm wide. But it's good solid material, doesn't warp, bend or crack. Doesn't have the structural value of Douglas Fir, but it's good stuff. Termites go right through it if it isn't treated however.

In the tropical environment we have a lot of salinity in the air. Where I live the whole Island is considered "Surf Zone" We plant a fast-growing species of Pine ("Toa" in the local tongue) that apprently draws salt out of the air. Oil Importers plant these things around their steel storage tanks - I've got a few growing where I park our vehicles, what the hey.

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Hi Soilguy,
Apologies for coming in late on this thread.

Is there anything + or - you can about a Leylandii tree?
I planted a 3ft one four years ago.....it must be over 20ft tall
now, and still growing!

Mike Kremer

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Leyland cypres is a good fast grower for quick vegetative screens. It is non-invasive and a well behaved member of the ornamental tree community.

It is susceptible to some kind of borer or another in the southeast US, but I've never had a problem with it (in the southeast US). If you like the way it looks, or if it makes an adequate background planting for you, it's a good tree. It won't last forever, but any Leyland cypress I plant that does not become diseased will probably outlive me, at this point in my life.

Personally, I can take it or leave it based on looks, but I've used it at two different homes I've owned to screen out nosy neighbors, and will use it again.


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Originally Posted By: Wolfman
In this part of the World we see Radiata Pine being imported for construction. Terry will be familiar with this. The first time I saw it I thought, "Look at the growth rings on this stuff, it can't be any good." Serious, growth rings 10mm wide.


Loblolly is like that, too. I've seen growth rings on it that were 2.5 cm wide (including both spring and summer wood). Unfortunately, they've displaced a lot of other species with loblolly plantations outside its natural range, though it grows well enough.


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There's a lot of good stuff here. Soilguy, we're moving to a small block and your comments are much appreciated. As an aside, I'm pretty sure radiata pine came originally from California. It's certainly not native to NZ. Grows faster here than in its home. I've worked as a labourer in forestry, both here and in Oz, so have planted thousands of them.

Wolfman wrote:

"But it's good solid material, doesn't warp, bend or crack."

It took a lot of selective breeding and cloning to produce that though.

Last edited by terrytnewzealand; 04/30/07 11:33 PM.

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