A plant geneticist would like to engineer a plant with a photosynthetic efficiency that is superior to that of C₃ and C₄ plants.Such an engineered plant would

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Rubisco is the enzyme responsible for fixing carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. However, it can also bind to oxygen, leading to a process called photorespiration that actually reduces photosynthetic efficiency. By engineering a plant with rubisco that lacks oxygenase activity, the plant can avoid photorespiration and potentially have a higher photosynthetic efficiency. Keeping the stomata open all the time (A), fixing carbon dioxide only during the night (C), or always performing cyclic electron transfer (E) are all unlikely to result in a higher photosynthetic efficiency. Fixing carbon dioxide only during the day (D) is what all plants already do and would not necessarily result in a superior efficiency.

A Plant Geneticist Would Like to Engineer a Plant with a Photosynthetic