Winter wheat is a grass species widely planted in northern and central China, where the increase of aerosols, air pollutants and population density are causing significant reduction in solar irradiance. In order to investigate the adaptation of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Yangmai 13) to low irradiance conditions occurring in the downstream plain of the Yangtze River (China), plants were subjected to four solar irradiance treatments (100%, 60%, 40%, and 20% of environmental incident solar irradiance). Significant increases in chlorophyll (Chl) and xanthophyll (Xan) pigments, and decreases in Chl a/b and Xan/Chl ratios were observed in plants under low light. Light-response curves showed higher net photosynthetic rates (PN) in fully irradiated plants, that also showed a higher light-compensation point. Shaded plants maintained high values of minimal fluorescence of dark-adapted state (F0) and maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm) that assess a lower degree of photoinhibition under low light. Reduced irradiance caused decreases in effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII), electron transport rate (ETR), and nonphotochemical quenching coefficient (qN), and the promotion of excitation pressure of PSII (1 - qP). The activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and peroxidase were high under reduced light whereas no light-dependent changes in catalase activity were observed. Thiobarbituric acid reactive species content and electrolyte leakage decreased under shaded plants that showed a lower photooxidative damage. The results suggest that winter wheat cv. Yangmai 13 is able to maintain a high photosynthetic efficiency under reduced solar irradiance and acclimates well to shading tolerance. The photosynthetic and antioxidant responses of winter wheat to low light levels could be important for winter wheat cultivation and productivity. and Y. Zheng ... [et al.].
The aim of our study was to answer whether any positive correlation exists between K+ uptake and salt tolerance in wheat. We carried out a sand-culture experiment with salt-tolerant, DK961 (ST), and salt-sensitive, JN17 (SS), wheat cultivars, where photosynthesis, the K+/Na+ ratio, growth, and the biomass yield were examined. The seeds were exposed for four weeks to six NaCl concentrations (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 mM), which were embodied in the Hoagland solution. Salinity-induced decrease of K+ or increase in the Na+ content was much smaller in ST than that in SS. The reductions in the light-saturated photosynthetic rate (P Nmax) and chlorophyll content caused by salinity were smaller in the ST compared to SS. Stomatal conductance decreased in both cultivars under saline conditions; nevertheless, it was lower in SS than in ST. The antioxidative capacity was higher in ST than that in SS under saline conditions. Significant positive correlations were observed in both cultivars between K+ contents and P Nmax/biomass yields. We suggest that higher-affinity K+ uptake might play a key role in higher salt tolerance and it might be a reliable indicator for breeding new species of salt-tolerant wheat., D. Cheng, G. Wu, Y. Zheng., and Obsahuje seznam literatury