Effect of a mist culture system on photosynthesis and nitrogen metabolism in ginger.

To evaluate the transition from traditional shading cultivation to mist cultivation, a field experiment was carried out. The results demonstrated that compared with traditional shading, the mist treatment significantly reduced leaf temperature. Likewise, the higher transpiration rate also contributes to reducing leaf temperature and protects ginger from heat stress in summer. Moreover, a higher instantaneous efficiency of water use suggested that water lost via transpiration was beneficial under a mist culture system. The higher instantaneous efficiency of water use in the mist treatment was caused mainly by the higher net photosynthetic rate, which is further reflected by the higher rhizome yield of ginger under the mist culture system. Instead of lowering the temperature by lowering photon flux density, mist treatment does not seriously reduce the photon flux density while reducing the temperature of the blade. Hence, the net photosynthetic rate in the shading treatment is significantly lower than that in the mist treatment, although the maximal quantum yield of photosystem II and the actual photochemical efficiency of photosystem II in ginger in the shading treatment were significantly higher than those in the mist treatment. Lower superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and malondialdehyde contents were also found after mist treatment. Lower ammonium avoids the potential risk of ammonium toxicity and is based on higher nitrate reductase, glutamine synthetase, and glutamate synthase activity but lower glutamate dehydrogenase activity. Therefore, the mist cultivation system improved the physiological characteristics and yields of ginger and can be suggested as an alternative, sustainable, and cleaner cultivation measure.