Low temperature has a negative impact on plant cells and results in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In order to study the role of ascorbate under chilling stress, the response of an ascorbate-deficient Arabidopsis thaliana mutant vtc2-1 to low temperature (2°C) was investigated. After chilling stress, vtc2-1 mutants exhibited oxidative damage. An increase in the H2O2 generation and the production of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and a decrease in chlorophyll content, the maximal photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) and oxidizable P700 were also noted. The ratio of ascorbate/dehydroascorbate and reduced glutathione/oxidzed glutathione in the vtc2-1 mutants were reduced, compared with the wild type (WT) plants. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and soluble antioxidants were lower in the vtc2-1 mutants than those in WT plants. These results suggested that the ascorbate-deficient mutant vtc2-1 was more sensitive to chilling treatment than WT plants. The low temperature-induced oxidative stress was the major cause of the decrease of PSII and PSI function in the vtc2-1 mutants. Ascorbate plays a critical role of defense without which the rest of the ROS defense network is unable to react effectively., L. Y. Wang ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Previous evidence has demonstrated that vertical leaves of Styrax camporum, a woody shrub from the Brazilian savanna, have a higher net photosynthetic rate (PN) compared with horizontal leaves, and that it is detected only if gas exchange is measured with light interception by both leaf surfaces. In the present study, leaf temperature (T leaf), gas exchange and chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence with light interception on adaxial and also on abaxial surfaces of vertical and horizontal mature fully-expanded leaves subjected to water deficit (WD) were measured. Similar
gas-exchange and fluorescence values were found when the leaves were measured with light interception on the respective surfaces of horizontal and vertical leaves. WD reduced N values measured with light interception on leaf surfaces of both leaf types, but the effective quantum yield of PSII (ΦPSII) and the apparent electron transport rate (ETR) were reduced only when the leaves were measured with light interception on the adaxial surface. WD did not decrease the maximum quantum yield of PSII (Fv/Fm) or increase T leaf, even at the peak of WD stress. Vertical leaf orientation in S. camporum is not related to leaf heat avoidance. In addition, the similar P N values and the lack of higher values of ΦPSII and ETR in vertical compared with horizontal leaves measured with light interception by each of the leaf surfaces suggests that the vertical leaf position is not related to photoprotection in this species, even when subjected to drought conditions. The exclusion of this photoprotective role could raise the alternative hypothesis that diverse leaf angles sustain whole plant light interception efficiency increased in this species., A. M. Feistler, G. Habermann., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The use of black leaf-clips for dark adaptation under high solar radiation conditions is reported to underestimate the maximum quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm) measured by the continuous-excitation fluorometer Pocket PEA. The decrease in Fv/Fm was due to a rise in minimum fluorescence emission (F0), probably resulting from increased leaf temperature (Tl). In
field-grown tomato and pepper, fluorescence parameters and Tl in the region covered by the black leaf clip were measured in clipped leaves exposed to solar radiation during dark adaptation (clipped-only leaves) and in clipped leaves protected from solar radiation by aluminium foil (shrouded clipped leaves). Results confirmed significant Fv/Fm underestimates in clipped-only leaves primarily due to increased F0. In one tomato experiment, Tl increased from 30 to 44.5°C in clipped-only leaves, with a negligible rise in shrouded clipped leaves. In two respective pepper experiments, Tl in clipped-only leaves increased from 27 to 36.2°C and 33 to 40.9°C. Based on the results of this study, a clip-effect parameter (PCE) on fluorescence emission is proposed as the difference for Fv/Fm (or -F0/Fm) between shrouded clipped leaves and clipped-only leaves, which resulted to be 0.706 for tomato, and 0.241 and 0.358 for the two pepper experiments., P. Giorio ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Biotopes of bromeliads observed in three national parks situated in south-eastern Brazil are described. Epiphytic and terres - trial species from tropical rainforests and cloud forests, together referred to as Mata atlântica, are pictured. An interesting story about a very popular cultivated variety Neo - regelia cv. Fireball is also mentioned. and Miloslav Studnička.