Field-grown plants of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Akcent) in the growth phase 30 DC (beginning of stem extension) were exposed to a one-shot application of a commercial product containing cyanazine (Bladex 50 SC) in two doses, C30 and C60 (30 and 60 mg m-2). The reaction of the plant photosynthetic system was followed non-destructively using chlorophyll fluorescence induction (the O-J-I-P transient) within three weeks after the application in the fifth developed leaf and three further gradually appearing leaves. An immediate response of plants to the application of cyanazine and a regeneration of plants from cyanazine action were detected. The biological (plant dry mass) and crop yield production (the number and mass of grains in a spike) were analyzed in time of full ripeness. The crop yield was lowered by the herbicide effect to the same level for the two doses used. and M. Matoušková, J. Nauš, M. Flašarová.
Chlorophyll a fluorescence induction measured by a fluorometer with a high temperature stressed plant material shows a new K step which is a clear peak due to fast fluorescence rise and subsequent decrease of fluorescence intensity. We focused on an explanation of the decrease of fluorescence after the K step using artificial electron acceptors and donors to photosystem 2 (PS2). Addition of the artificial electron acceptors or donors suppressed the decrease of fluorescence after the K step. We suggest that the decrease mainly reflects (by more than 81 %) an energy loss process in the reaction centre of PS2 which is most probably a nonradiative charge recombination between P680+ (oxidised primary electron donor in PS2) and a negative charge stored on either Pheo- or QA- (reduced primary electron acceptor of PS2 and reduced primary quinone electron acceptor of PS2, respectively). We suggest that the energy loss process is only possible when the inhibition of both the donor and the acceptor sides of PS2 occurs. and D. Lazár, P. Pospíšil, J. Nauš.
Oscillations in many of photosynthetic quantities with a period of about 1 min can be routinely measured with higher plant leaves after perturbation of the steady state by sudden change in gas phase. Among all hypotheses suggested so far to explain the oscillations, an effect of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) activation status to control the oscillations is highly probable, at least upon high temperature (HT) treatment when in vivo RuBPCO activity controlled by RuBPCO activase (RuBPCO-A) decreases. Therefore, we measured the oscillations in fluorescence signal coming from barley leaves (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Akcent) after their exposure for various time intervals to different HTs in darkness. We also evaluated steady state fluorescence and CO2 exchange parameters to have an insight to functions of electron transport chain within thylakoid membrane and Calvin cycle before initiation of the oscillations. The changes in period of the oscillations induced by moderate HT (up to 43 °C) best correlated with changes in non-photochemical fluorescence quenching (qN) that in turn correlated with changes in gross photosynthetic rate (PG) and rate of RuBPCO activation (kact). Therefore, we suggest that changes in period of the oscillations caused by moderate HT are mainly controlled by RuBPCO activation status. For more severe HT (45 °C), the oscillations disappeared which was probably caused by an insufficient formation of NADPH by electron transport chain within thylakoid membrane as judged from a decrease in photochemical fluorescence quenching (qP). Suggestions made on the basis of experimental data were verified by theoretical simulations of the oscillations based on a model of Calvin cycle and by means of a control analysis of the model. and D. Lazár ... [et al.].