The specificity factor of Rubisco (S f) was estimated in intact leaves from the carboxylation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) at various CO2/O2 ratios. As oxygenation is calculated by the difference of the 14CO2 uptake by RuBP in the absence and presence of oxygen, it is important to choose the optimum CO2/O2 ratios. At high CO2 concentration (1,000 cm3 m-3 and higher) oxygenation consumes less than 50% RuBP but the difference of concentrations of CO2 at cell walls (Cw) and at the carboxylation centers (Cc) is 2-5% and the influence of mesophyll resistance
(rmd) is of minor importance. To accumulate large endogenous pool of RuBP, the leaves were preilluminated in the CO2- and
O2-free gas environments for 8 to 10 s. Thereafter the light was switched off and the leaves were flushed with the gas containing different concentrations of 14CO2 and O2. The specificity factor of Rubisco was calculated from the amount of the tracer taken up under different 14CO2/O2 ratios by the exhaustion of the RuBP pool. Application of 14CO2 allowed us to discriminate between the CO2 uptake and the concurrent respiratory CO2 release which proceeded at the expense of unlabelled intermediates., J. Viil, H. Ivanova, T. Pärnik., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The mechanisms of capsicum growth in response to differential light availabilities are still not well elucidated. Hereby, we analyzed differential light availabilities on the relationship between stomatal characters and leaf growth, as well as photosynthetic performance. We used either 450-500 µmol m-2 s-1 as high light (HL) or 80-100 µmol m-2 s-1 as low light (LL) as treatments for two different cultivars. Our results showed that the stomatal density (SD) and stomatal index (SI) increased along with the leaf area expansion until the peak of the correlation curve, and then decreased. SD and SI were lower under the LL condition after three days of leaf expansion. For both cultivars, downregulation of photosynthesis and electron transport components was observed in LL-grown plants as indicated by lower light- and CO2-saturated photosynthetic rate (Pmax and RuBPmax), quantum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry (ΦPSII), electron transport rate (ETR) and photochemical quenching of fluorescence (qp). The observed inhibition of the photosynthesis could be explained by the decrease of SD, SI, Rubisco content and by the changes of the chloroplast. The low light resulted in lower total biomass, root/shoot ratio, and the thickness of the leaf decreased. However, the specific leaf area (SLA) and the content of leaf pigments were higher in
LL-treatment. Variations in the photosynthetic characteristics of capsicum grown under different light conditions reflected the physiological adaptations to the changing light environments. and Q. S. Fu ... [et al.].
a1_We investigated the light reactions, CO2 assimilation, but also the chloroplast ultrastructure in the upper three functional leaves (flag, 2nd, and 3rd leaves) of the Chinese super-high-yield hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.) Liangyoupeijiu (LYPJ) with ultraviolet-B (UV-B) treatment during reproductive development. Photosynthetic parameters showed that the upper 3 functional leaves of LYPJ entered into senescence approximately 15 days after flag leaf emergence (DAE). Leaves in UV-B treatment exhibited greater efficiency in absorbing and utilizing light energy of photosystem II (PSII), characterized by higher chlorophyll (Chl) content and the whole chain electron transport rate (ETR). However, UV-B radiation reduced activities of Ca2+-ATPase and photophosphorylation. The significantly decreased activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) was greatly associated with the decline in photosynthetic efficiency. The net photosynthetic rate (PN) and stomatal conductance (gs) suffered strong reductions before 25 DAE, and afterwards showed no significant difference between control and treatment. UV-B treatment delayed chloroplasts development of flag leaves. Chloroplast membranes later swelled and disintegrated, and more stromal thylakoids were parallel to each other and were arranged in neat rows, which might be responsible for better performance of the primary light reaction. It is likely that accumulation of starch and an increase in the number of lipid droplet and translucent plastoglobuli were results of an inhibition of carbohydrate transport. Our results suggest that long-term exposure to enhanced UV-B radiation was unlikely to have detrimental effects on the absorption flux of photons and the transport of electrons, but it resulted in the decrease of photophosphorylation and Rubisco activation of LYPJ., a2_The extent of the damage to the chloroplast ultrastructure was consistent with the degree of the inhibition of photosynthesis., G. H. Yu ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii
High temperature is a common constraint during anthesis and grain-filling stages of wheat leading to huge losses in yield. In order to understand the mechanism of heat tolerance during monocarpic senescence, the present study was carried out under field conditions by allowing two well characterized Triticum aestivum L. cultivars differing in heat tolerance, Hindi62 (heat-tolerant) and PBW343 (heat-susceptible), to suffer maximum heat stress under late sown conditions. Senescence was characterized by measuring photosynthesis related processes and endoproteolytic activity during non-stress environment (NSE) as well as heat-stress environment (HSE). There was a faster rate of senescence under HSE in both the genotypes. Hindi62, having pale yellow flag leaf with larger area, maintained cooler canopy under high temperatures than PBW343. The tolerance for high temperature in Hindi62 was clearly evident in terms of slower green-leaf area degradation, higher stomatal conductance, higher stability in maximum PSII efficiency, Rubisco activity and Rubisco content than PBW343. Both the genotypes exhibited lower endopeptidase activity under HSE as compared to NSE and this difference was more apparent in Hindi62. Serine proteases are the predominant proteases responsible for protein degradation under NSE as well as HSE. Flag leaf of both the genotypes exhibited high-molecular-mass endoproteases (78 kDa and 67 kDa) isoforms up to full grain maturity which were inhibited by specific serine protease inhibitor in both the environments. In conclusion, the heat-tolerant Hindi62 exhibited a slower rate of senescence than the heat-susceptible PBW343 during HSE, which may contribute towards heat stability. and S. Chauhan ... [et al.].