Real-Time Monitoring of Carbon Monoxide Production and Utilization by Plants with Tunable Diode Laser

A carbon monoxide analyzer based on tunable diode lasers was developed and used to study CO in the microcosm of some plants. Designed analyzer has high sensitivity (at the level of 5 ppb) and close to 100% selectivity to water vapors and CO2 and allows real-time on-line monitoring of CO in plants microcosm. One of the objectives of the study was to demonstrate a possibility to study CO production and utilization by plants with help of spectral gas analysis based on tunable diode laser spectroscopy. In our in-vitro experiment the CO formation and release into the surrounding atmosphere were observed in the early stages of plant development (stage of germination and growth of seedlings wheat, cucumbers and colza). An intense CO absorption from the surrounding air was observed when studying the CO content in the microcosm of the formed plants.