 (i) Shortage of light (usually lack of sunlight) slows photosynthesis

 (ii) Low temperature, slows down the rate of photosynthesis

 (iii) A shortage of carbon dioxide will also slow down the rate of photosynthesis
 (iv)Lack of chlorophyll/chloroplasts in the plant cells reduce the plant's capacity to photosynthesise.

Factors controlling the rate of photosynthesis

1. LIGHT INTENSITY

The effect of light intensity on photosynthesis can be investigated in water plants. Use Elodea, which are sold in
aquarium shops.

The plants will release bubbles of oxygen - a product of photosynthesis - which can be counted.

A lamp with an LED bulb is set up at different distances from the plant in a beaker of water.

 An LED bulb is best as this will not raise the temperature of the water.
 Sodium hydrogen carbonate - formula NaHCO3 - is added to the water to supply carbon dioxide - a
reactant in photosynthesis - to the plant.
 The light intensity is proportional to distance - it will decrease as the distance between the bulb and the
plant increases - so light intensity for the investigation can be varied by changing the distance from
the lamp to the plant.
The bubbles produced over one minute periods are recorded.

Variables

 Independent variable - distance from the light source/light intensity (variable that you change).
 Dependent variable - the number of bubbles produced per minute (the variable that you measure).
 Control variables - concentration of sodium hydrogen carbonate solution, temperature, using the same
piece of Elodea pondweed each time.
 
o Light energy is needed for photosynthesis, so as the light intensity increases, the rate of
photosynthesis chemical reactions steadily increases in a linear manner

The rate of photosynthesis increases when light gets brighter.

Many plants spread out their leaves in such a way that each leaf maximises the amount
of light falling on them and the lower leaves are not shaded by the ones above. Too
much light at a high intensity can damage chloroplasts.

 TEMPERATURE

Using similar experimental set-up, the effect of temperature on photosynthesis can be determined.
This can be done by keeping the concentration of light intensity and carbon dioxide constant while
varying the temperature of the water bath.

Experiment

 Place a pond weed Elodea upside in a test tube containing water at 25°C.
 Place the tube in a beaker of fresh water.
 Place excess sodium bicarbonate
(NaHCO3) in the water to give a
constant saturated solution of CO2.
 Place the lamp (the only light source)
at a fixed distance from the plant.
 Maintain the
room temperature at 20°C.
 Count the number of oxygen bubbles
given off by the plant in a one -
minute period. This is the rate of
photosynthesis at that particular
temperature.
 Repeat at different temperatures:
0°C - surround the beaker with an
ice jacket; greater than room
temperature (25°C, 30°C, 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, etc.,) by using a hot plate.
 Graph the results placing temperature on the x-axis

o Photosynthesis chemical reactions cannot happen without the help of enzymes.

o Raising the temperature gives the molecules more kinetic energy so more of them react on
collision, and initially, you get the expected increase in the speed of the photosynthesis reaction
o However, too high a temperature is just as bad as too a low temperature (which would be too
slow).
o At temperatures over 40oC enzymes involved in the process are increasingly destroyed, so
photosynthesis slows down and eventually stops because the photosynthesis enzymes are
destroyed.
o A graph of rate of photosynthesis versus temperature rises at first (usual rate of chemical reaction
factor), goes through a maximum (optimum temperature) and then falls as the enzymes are
becoming increasingly denatured and eventually cease to function.
 Greenhouses are used to capitalise on the effects of higher temperatures increasing the rate of photosynthesis.
Plants from regions of warmer climates can successfully grow in colder regions by using greenhouses.

The rate of photosynthesis does not increase with higher temperatures for all plants. Plants which grow in
colder climates have an optimum rate of photosynthesis at low temperatures. Therefore different types of
plants have different optimum temperatures for photosynthesis.

3. CARBON DIOXIDE CONCENTRATION

 To investigate if carbon dioxide concentration affects the rate of photosynthesis, we need to place the
pond weed in solutions containing different concentrations of CO 2.This can be done by using different
dilutions of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3).

o Carbon dioxide is needed for photosynthesis, so as the carbon dioxide concentration increases,
the rate of photosynthesis chemical reactions steadily increases in a linear manner - initially the
reaction rate of photosynthesis is directly proportional to CO 2 concentration (from Point A to B)
o The rate falls gradually, and at a certain CO2 concentration it stays constant (from point B to C)

Many crops such as tomatoes and lettuce give higher yield when grown in greenhouses. Farmers add
additional carbon dioxide into the greenhouse to increase the concentration and so the rate of
photosynthesis of the crops. The additional cost of the carbon dioxide is worthwhile because of the
increased yield.
Some companies have used this to great environmental use. Rather than pump waste carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere as a pollutant they redirect it into big greenhouses where plants such as tomatoes use it
during photosynthesis.

The effect of chlorophyll

The effect of the presence or absence of chlorophyll on photosynthesis can be investigated using a variegated
plant. Variegated plants have regions of their leaves with and without chlorophyll.

Only those areas of the leaf with chlorophyll photosynthesise. They will test positive for starch, which is built
up from the glucose produced.