A guide to Open-JIP, a low-cost open-source chlorophyll fluorometer

Chlorophyll a fluorescence is the most widely used method to study photosynthesis and plant stress. While several commercial fluorometers are available, there is a need for a low-cost and highly customisable chlorophyll fluorometer. Such a device would aid in performing high-throughput assessment of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPhotosynthesis research Vol. 142; no. 3; pp. 361 - 368
Main Authors Bates, Harvey, Zavafer, Alonso, Szabó, Milán, Ralph, Peter J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.12.2019
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Chlorella vulgaris - chemistry
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll A - chemistry
Economic aspects
Equipment Design
Fluorescence
Fluorometry - instrumentation
Fluorometry - methods
Life Sciences
Microalgae - chemistry
Microalgae - metabolism
Photosynthesis
Phytochemistry
Plant Genetics and Genomics
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
Plants - chemistry
Plants - metabolism
Synechococcus - chemistry
Technical Communication
Open-source
Chlorophyll
Fluorometer
fluorescence
OJIP
Cyanobacteria
Chlorophyll a fluorescence
Chlorella vulgaris
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Summary:Chlorophyll a fluorescence is the most widely used method to study photosynthesis and plant stress. While several commercial fluorometers are available, there is a need for a low-cost and highly customisable chlorophyll fluorometer. Such a device would aid in performing high-throughput assessment of photosynthesis, as these instruments can be mass-produced. Novel investigations into photosynthesis can also be performed as a result of the user’s ability to modify the devices functionality for their specific needs. Motivated by this, we present an open-source chlorophyll fluorometer based on the Kautsky induction curve (OJIP). The instrument consists of low-cost, easy-to-acquire electrical components and an open-source microcontroller (Arduino Mega) whose performance is equivalent to that of commercial instruments. Two 3D printable Open-JIP configurations are presented, one for higher plants and the other for microalgae cells in suspension. Directions for its construction are presented and the instrument is benchmarked against widely used commercial chlorophyll fluorometers.
ISSN:0166-8595
1573-5079
DOI:10.1007/s11120-019-00673-2