Gas exchange and chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements of expanding and adult leaves of four plant species were compared under field conditions. The pioneer species (PS) tended to have thinner leaves with lower nitrogen content and higher stomatal density compared to forest species (FS). Expanding leaves featured lower photosynthetic pigment contents and gas exchange capacity than adult leaves consistent with an immature photosynthetic apparatus. At the time of maximum irradiance, sun-exposed leaves of both PS and FS showed alteration of initial, variable, and maximum fluorescence as well as their ratios indicating photoinhibition. However, leaves recovered to some extent at predawn, suggesting the activation of photoprotective mechanisms. Sun-exposed leaves had comparable responses to high irradiance.
Under constant salinity we analysed the leaf characteristics of Laguncularia racemosa (L.) Gaertn. in combination with gas exchange and carbon isotopic composition to estimate leaf water-use efficiency (WUE) and potential nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE). NaCl was not added to the control plants and the others were maintained at salinities of 15 and 30 ‰ (S0, S15, and S30, respectively). Leaf succulence, sodium (Na), nitrogen (N), and chlorophyll (Chl) contents increased under salinity. Salinity had a negative impact on net photosynthetic rate (PN) and stomatal conductance (gs) at high and moderated irradiances. Potential NUE declined significantly (p<0.05) with salinity by 37 and 58 % at S15 and S30, respectively, compared to S0 plants. Conversely, compared to S0 plants, PN/gs increased under saline conditions by 12 % (S15) and 50 % (S30). Thus, WUE inferred from PN/gs was consistent with salinity improved short-term WUE. Long-term leaf WUE was also enhanced by salinity as suggested by significantly increased leaf δ13C with salinity. Improved WUE under salinity explains the eco-physiological success of mangrove species under increasing salinity. Conversely, decline in NUE may pose a problem for L. racemosa under hyper-saline environments regardless of N availability.
Drought significantly constrains higher yield of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in arid and semiarid areas all over the world. This study evaluated the responses of leaf cuticular wax constituents to drought treatment and their relations to gas-exchange indexes across six alfalfa cultivars widely grown in China. Water deficit was imposed by withholding water for 12 d during branching stage. Cuticular waxes on alfalfa leaves were dominated by primary alcohols (41.7-54.2%), alkanes (13.2-26.9%) and terpenes (17.5-28.9%), with small amount of aldehydes (1.4-3.4%) and unknown constituents (4.5-18.4%). Compared to total wax contents, the wax constituents were more sensitive to drought treatment. Drought decreased the contents of primary alcohol and increased alkanes in all cultivars. Alkane homologs, C25, C27, and C29, were all negatively correlated with photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and leaf water potential. Under drought conditions, both stomatal and nonstomatal factors were involved in controlling water loss from alfalfa leaves. No direct relationship was observed between wax contents and drought resistance among alfalfa cultivars. An increase in alkane content might be more important in improving drought tolerance of alfalfa under water deficit, which might be used as an index for selecting and breeding drought resistant cultivars of alfalfa., Y. Ni ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Leaf developmental patterns were characterized for three tropical tree species with delayed greening. Changes in the pigment contents, photosynthetic capacity, stomata development, photosystem 2 efficiency, rate of energy dissipation, and the activity of partial protective enzymes were followed in developing leaves in an attempt to elucidate the relative importance of various photoprotective mechanisms during leaf ontogeny. Big leaves of Anthocephalus chinensis, a fast-growing light demanding species, expanded following an exponential pattern, while relatively small leaves of two shade-tolerant species Litsea pierrei and Litsea dilleniifolia followed a sigmoidal pattern. The juvenile leaves of A. chinensis and L. pierrei contained anthocyanin located below the upper epidermis, while L. dilleniifolia did not contain anthocyanin. Leaves of A. chinensis required about 12 d for full leaf expansion (FLE) and photosynthetic development was delayed 4 d, while L. pierrei and L. dilleniifolia required 18 or 25 d for FLE and photosynthetic development was delayed 10 or 15 d, respectively. During the leaf development the increase in maximum net photosynthetic rate was significantly related to changes in stomatal conductance and the leaf maturation period was positively related to the steady-state leaf dry mass per area for the three studied species. Dark respiration rate of leaves at developing stages was greater, and pre-dawn initial photochemical efficiency was lower than that of mature leaves. Young leaves displayed greater energy dissipation than mature leaves, but nevertheless, the diurnal photoinhibition of young L. dilleniifolia leaves was higher than that of mature leaves. The young red leaves of A. chinensis and L. pierrei with high anthocyanin contents and similar diurnal photoinhibition contained more protective enzymes (superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase) than mature leaves. Consequently, red leaves may have higher antioxidant ability. and Z. Q. Cai, M. Slot, Z. X. Fan.
The effects of N and P deficiency, isolated or in combination, on leaf gas exchange and fast chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence emission were studied in common bean cv. Negrito. 10-d-old plants grown in aerated nutrient solution were supplied with high N (HN, 7.5 mol m-3) or low N (LN, 0.5 mol m-3), and also with high P (HP, 0.5 mol m-3) or low P (LP, 0.005 mol m-3). Regardless of the external P supply, in LN plants the initial fluorescence (F0) increased 12 % in parallel to a quenching of about 14 % in maximum fluorescence (Fm). As a consequence, the variable to maximum fluorescence ratio (Fv/Fm) decreased by about 7 %, and the variable to initial fluorescence ratio (Fv/F0) was lowered by 25 % in relation to control plants. In LP plants, Fv/Fm remained unchanged whilst Fv/F0 decreased slightly as a result of 5 % decline in Fm. Under N deficiency, the net photosynthetic rate (P N) halved at 6 d after imposition of treatment and so remained afterwards. As compared to LN plants, P N declined in LP plants latter and to a less extent. From 12 d of P deprivation onwards. P N fell down progressively to display rates similar to those of LN plants only at the end of the experiment. The greater P N in LP plants was not reflected in larger biomass accumulation in relation to LN beans. In general, P and N limitation affected photosynthesis parameters and growth without showing any synergistic or additive effect between deficiency of both nutrients. and J. D. Lima, P. R. Mosquim, F. M. da Matta.
Stress-induced restrictions to carbon balance, growth, and reproduction are the causes of tree-line formation at a global scale. We studied gas exchange and water relations of Polylepis tarapacana in the field, considering the possible effects of water stress limitations imposed on net photosynthetic rate (PN). Daily courses of microclimatic variables, gas exchange, and leaf water potential were measured in both dry-cold and wet-warm seasons at an altitude of 4 300 m. Marked differences in environmental conditions between seasons resulted in differences for the dry-cold and wet-warm seasons in mean leaf water potentials (-1.67 and -1.02 MPa, respectively) and mean leaf conductances (33.5 and 58.9 mmol m-2 s-1, respectively), while differences in mean PN (2.5 and 2.8 μmol m-2 s-1, respectively) were not as evident. This may be related to limitations imposed by water deficit and lower photon flux densities during dry and wet seasons, respectively. Hence P. tarapacana has coupled its gas exchange characteristics to the extreme daily and seasonal variations in temperature and water availability of high elevations. and C. García-Núñez ... [et al.].
Diurnal and seasonal changes in the leaf water potential (Ψ), stomatal conductance (gs), net CO2 assimilation rate (PN), transpiration rate (E), internal CO2 concentration (Ci), and intrinsic water use efficiency (PN/gs) were studied in grapevines (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Touriga Nacional) growing in low, moderate, and severe summer stress at Vila Real (VR), Pinhão (PI), and Almendra (AL) experimental sites, respectively. In VR and PI site the limitation to photosynthesis was caused more by stomatal limitations, while in AL mesophyll limitations were also responsible for the summer decline in PN. and J. M. Moutinho-Pereira ... [et al.].
The effects of soil flooding on gas exchange and photosystem 2 (PS2) activity were analyzed in leaves of Phragmites australis, Carex cinerascens, and Hemarthria altissima. Pronounced decrease in net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance with flooding was found only in C. cinerascens. No significant changes in PS2 activity were observed in all three species which suggests that the photosynthetic apparatus was not damaged. Among the three species, H. altissima is better adapted to flooding than P. australis and C. cinerascens. and M. Li, D. Yang, W. Li.
Species of the Theobroma genus are primarily known by their commercially valuable seeds, especially, T. cacao is one of the most important tropical perennial crops. Beside T. grandiflorum, T. bicolor, and T. angustifolium, T. cacao is the only species of the genus that has been better studied to obtain physiologically relevant information. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the leaf gas exchange in seedlings of seven species of the Theobroma genus, seeking to identify characteristics that could be used in T. cacao breeding programmes. The study was realized under greenhouse conditions using six-month-old seedlings, in which net photosynthetic rate (PN), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration (E), as well as parameters derived from light curves (PN vs. photosynthetically active radiation) were evaluated. T. cacao, along with T. microcarpum, showed the lowest values of PN, gs, and E, while the highest values were presented by T. speciosum, which showed higher saturation irradiance and lower intrinsic and instantaneous water-use efficiencies, being considered the species less conservative in water use. Therefore, the parameters shown by the different evaluated species could serve to design T. cacao genotypes, through introgression of genes for specific environments such as the cabruca system widespread in southern Bahia, Brazil., A.-A. F. Almeida, F. P. Gomes, R. P. Araujo, R. C. Santos, R. R. Valle., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Gas exchange, water relations, and leaf traits were studied in the tuberous-root producing legumes ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa) and yambean (P. erosus) under different environmental conditions. Differences in leaf traits (hairiness, leaf area, areal leaf mass, stomatal density) and paraheliotropism were found between ahipa and yambean. Under sufficient water supply, the increase in air temperature and decrease in air humidity increased stomatal conductance (gs) and net photosynthetic rate (PN) in yambean but reduced them in ahipa. In a drying soil (14 d after irrigation), inter-specific variation in gas exchange was only observed in the early morning, and yambean showed a greater sensitivity to water restriction than ahipa. High gs at low humidity increased PN of P. erosus but resulted in lower water-use efficiency (WUE). However, long-term WUE, estimated by leaf carbon isotope discrimination, showed little variation between species. Daily-irrigated ahipa and yambean grown in the greenhouse did not show significant differences in gas exchange. However, leaf temperature was significantly greater in yambean than in ahipa while a steepper relationship between E and PN and gs was observed in ahipa.