From forests to farming: identification of photosynthetic limitations in breadfruit across diverse environments.

This article focuses on the photosynthetic physiology and agronomic performance of breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), a tropical tree crop with potential to improve food security in undernourished equatorial regions. Using a multi-environment variety trial across the Hawaiian Islands, the study found that photosynthetic rates varied significantly by site and variety, strongly correlating with fruit yield. Breadfruit exhibited high photosynthetic capacity comparable to other tropical fruit trees, with limitations on CO2 assimilation primarily imposed by stomatal characteristics rather than biochemical factors. The research highlights the importance of stomatal density and conductance in carbon assimilation and suggests that water transport and CO2 diffusion are key physiological constraints affecting productivity in breadfruit plantation systems.