In greenhouse experiments the efFect of simulated acid rain (mist of H2SO4) treatment on i'*C02 fixation, ribulose-l,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPC), nitráte reductase (NR) and nitrite reductase (NiR) activities in Vigna sinensis L. and Phaseolus mungo L. was investigated at different pH. Seedlings exposed to acidic mists of pH 5.6, 4.0 and 2.0 for 5 d showed significant reduction in *“*€02 fixation, RuBPC, NiR and especially NR activities. Sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of crude leaf extracts of RuBPC indicated a significant loss of 55 and 15 kDa polypeptides at pH 2.0 in both the crop plants. The reduction in the RuBPC activity in seedlings grown under acidic mists correlated well with the CO2 fixation. NR activity was affected more than the NiR activity.
Seedlings of Erythrina variegata Lam. exposed to flooding for 10 d showed significant reduction in height, growth rates (leaf area in plant, leaf area index, relative growth rate, and specific leaf mass), biomass, chlorophyli (Chl) and carotenoid contents, and thylakoid membrane organization. Application of triacontanol partially compensated these effects and promoted height, biomass and Chl content. Starch and sugar contents were significantly higher in leaves of flooded seedlings.
The effect of spraying triacontanol (Tria) solution (1 g m'^) on •'*C02 fíxation, ribulose-l,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPC), nitráte reductase (NR) and photosystem (PS) activities in waterlogged Erythrina variegata Lam. was investigated under field conditions. Seedlings exposed to flooding for 10 d showed a significant reduction in •‘♦CO2 fíxation, and in NR, RuBPC and PS2 activities. Electrophoretic analysis of thylakoid polypeptides indicated a significant loss of 47, 43, 33, 25, 23, 17 and 15 kDa polypeptides in flooded seedlings. However, the application of Tria partially ameliorated the effect of flooding and promoted the above activities. The site of flooding injury was at the oxidation site of PS2 prior to the hydroxylamine donating site and perhaps close or after the diphenylcarbazide donating site. The increase in the RuBPC activity in Tria-treated seedlings under flooding correlated well with the changes in CO2 fíxation rate.
Chloroplasts isolated from Vigna sinensis L, seedlings grown under cool íluorescent (control chloroplasts) and ultraviolet-B (UV-B)-enhanced íluorescent (UV chloroplasts) radiation, when incubated at 10, 20, 30 and 40 °C, showed large variations in the photosynthetic electron transport reactions. The overall electron transport activity in both control and UV chloroplasts incubated at 40 decreased rapidly. In contrast to this, at 30 the control chloroplasts got inactivated very rapidly during the 30 min of incubation while the UV chloroplasts showed high stability. A similar trend was also noticed at 20 “C. At 10 °C, although the rate of inactivation was slow, UV chloroplasts were more stable than control chloroplasts. A similar trend was noticed in photosystern (PS) 2 activity. In contrast to overall electron transport and PS2 reactions, PS 1 activity showed only marginal changes at all temperatures. The polypeptide profiles of chloroplasts exposed to UV-B iixadiation for 60 min at different temperatures revealed marked decreases in the level of the 23 and 33 kDa polypeptides in control chloroplasts while in UV chloroplasts these polypeptides were highly stable. In addition, UV chloroplasts contained several new polypeptides of both high and low molecular masses. The polypeptide partem indicated that higher photochemical activity of UV chloroplasts over the control chloroplasts could be due to stabilization of PS 2 core complexes by the new polypeptides induced under UV-B enhanced radiation.
Changes in the activity of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPC), soluble proteins and l‘*C02 fixation were studied in Vigna sinen.sis L. seedlings grovvn under nonnal and ultraviolet-B (UV-B) enhanced radiations at 10, 20, 30 and 40 ^C. The seedlings grown under nonnal radiation showed a progressive increase in enzyme activity, soluble protein and *‘*C02 fixation with an increase in temperature from 20 to 40 oC, while seedlings grown under UV-B enhanced radiation showed gradual decrease in these parameters with a maximum effect at 20-30 oC, At 40 oC, the inhibition was less. RuBPC activity, soluble protein content and '‘♦CO2 fixation showed parallel increases with increasing period of UV-B treatment at 10 oC, The polypeptide pattem of crude leaf extract showed progressive decrease in the level of 55 and 13 kDa polypeptides with the time of UV-B treatment at 20 and 30 °C. However, no such loss in these polypeptides was observed at 10 oC, and at 40 oC only a marginal loss in the level of 13 kDa polypeptide had occuned.
The changes in pigment-protein composition of chloroplasts in Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp seedlings grown under control and ultraviolet-B (UV-B) enhanced radiation at various temperatures were studied. The chlorophyll-protein (CP) complexes isolated from seedlings after 60 h of continuous UV-B enhanced radiation treatment showed temperature-dependent changes in their levels. At 10 ^C, well marked CPI, CP2a, CP47, CP2 and free pigment bands were seen in UV-B treated seedlings while control seedlings had no detectable green bands. UV-B enhanced radiation decreased the level of CPI, CP2a and CP2 complexes which was more pronounced at 20 and 30 °C than at 40 oC. The analysis of chloroplast polypeptides revealed a drastic decrease in the levels of 55, 47, 33, 25, 23, 22 and 17 kDa polypeptides in UV-B treated seedlings at 20 and 30 oC, and marginal decrease in the levels of 47, 43 and 16 kDa polypeptides at 40 ^C. In contrast to this, at 10 oC large increase in many polypeptides was noticed in UV-B treated seedlings.