In order to study photosynthetic characteristics, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) activities as well as soluble protein and chlorophyll contents were determined in leaf and fruit pericarp samples from diverse coffee genotypes (Coffea arabica cv. Colombia, Caturra, Caturra Erecta, San Pacho, Tipica, C. stenophylla, C. eugenioides, C. congensis, C. canephora, C. canephora cv. Arabusta, C. arabica cv. Caturra×C. canephora and Hibrido de Timor. We found a slightly higher PEPC activity in fruit pericarp than in leaves, while RuBPCO activity was much lower in pericarp than leaf tissue. Partial purification of PEPC and RuBPCO was carried out from leaves of C. arabica cv. Caturra and Michaelis-Menten kinetics for RuBPCO (Km CO2 = 5.34 µM), (Km RuBP = 9.09 µM) and PEPC (Km PEP = 19.5 µM) were determined. Leaf tissues of Colombia, Hibrido de Timor, and Caturra consistently showed higher content of protein [55.4-64.4 g kg-1 (f.m.)] than San Pacho, C. stenophylla, Tipica, Caturra Erecta, and Caturra×C. canephora [25.6-36.9 g kg-1 (f.m.)] and C. canephora cv. Arabusta, Borbon, C. congensis, C. eugenioides, and C. canephora [16.1-21.1 g kg-1 (f.m.)]. and Y. Lopez ... [et al.].
Two weeks-old maize (Zea mays cv. XL-72.3) plants were exposed to Al concentrations 0 (Al0), 9 (Al9), 27 (Al27) or 81 (Al81) g m-3 for 20 d in a growth medium with low ionic strength. Thereafter, the Al concentration-dependent interactions on root nitrate uptake, and its subsequent reduction to ammonia in the leaves were investigated. Al concentrations in the roots sharply increased with increasing Al concentrations while root elongation correspondingly decreased. Root fresh and dry masses, acidification capacity, and nitrate and nitrogen contents decreased from Al27 onwards, whereas leaf nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia concentrations decreased starting with Al9. Electrolytic conductance increased by 60 % in root tissues from Al0 to Al81 but it did not increase significantly in the leaves. In Al9, Al27, and Al81 plants a decrease in shoot fresh and dry masses was observed. Al concentrations between 0 and 27 g m-3 increased net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and the quantum yield of photosynthetic electron transport, whereas the intercellular CO2 concentration was minimum in Al27 plants. In the leaves, nitrate reductase (E.C. 1.6.6.1) activity increased until Al27, and nitrite reductase (E.C. 1.6.6.4) activity until Al81. Hence there may be an Al mediated extracellular and intracellular regulation of root net nitrate uptake. Nitrate accumulation in the roots affects the translocation rates and, therefore, the nitrate concentration in the leaves. The in vivo reducing power generated by the photosynthetic electron flow does not limit nitrate to ammonia reduction, and the increase of maximum nitrate and nitrite reductase activities parallels the decreasing nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia concentrations. and F. C. Lidon, J. C. Ramalho, M. G. Barreiro.
Metal stress was induced in maize (Zea mays L.) by the addition to the soil of a range of concentrations of either ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetate (EDTA) or citric acid (CA) as chelating agents. Measurements were taken using a recently-developed sensor capable of plant fluorescence detection at wavelengths of 762 and 688 nm. Atmospheric oxygen absorbs radiation at these wavelengths. As such, measured fluorescence can be attributed to the plants under observation. Red/far-red (690/760 nm, R/FR) chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence ratios were measured before addition of the chelating agents and during the month following. Significant differences were seen in the fluorescence responses of those plants for which high concentrations [≥ 30 mmol kg-1(d.m. soil)] of EDTA were added to the pots compared to those for which CA or no chelating agent was added. The plants for which high concentrations of EDTA were added also exhibited higher tissue metal concentrations and demonstrated visible signs of stress. Before signs of visual stress became apparent, R/FR Chl fluorescence ratios for metal-stressed plants were significantly different to those observed for unstressed plants. These results support the use of plant fluorescence as a potential tool for early indication of phytotoxic metal stress. and J. J. Colls, D. P. Hall.
Chloroplasts are commonly the site of the earliest abiotic injury visible in plant ultrastructure. In this study, six inbred lines of maize (Zea mays L.) were used to analyze changes in the ultrastructure of chloroplasts and related physiological parameters under conditions of drought stress simulated by 20% polyethylene glycol 6000 (-0.6 MPa) for two days. Chloroplasts of three maize lines proved to be more sensitive. They showed changes in the ultrastructure in response to drought, including damage of thylakoid membranes, an increase in the number and size of plastoglobuli, swelling of thylakoid membranes both stromal and granal, disorganization of the thylakoid membrane system, an obvious increase in the intrathylakoid space, and a decrease in the
length-to-width ratio and area of chloroplasts. In addition, the contents of malondialdehyde increased markedly in the sensitive lines. Contrary to the sensitive lines, stable structures and shapes of chloroplasts were observed in the drought-resistant lines; it could be considered as an advantage contributing to drought tolerance in the plants. In addition, the drought index of leaf fresh mass (LMDI) in the drought-sensitive lines was ≤ 0.5, which was also associated with a lower content of leaf chlorophyll. In contrast, drought tolerance coincided with lesser growth reduction, and higher LMDI and leaf chlorophyll content., R. X. Shao, L. F. Xin, H. F. Zheng, L. L. Li, W. L. Ran, J. Mao, Q. H. Yang., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings were grown in nutrient solution culture containing 0, 5, and 20 μM cadmium (Cd) and the effects on various aspects of photosynthesis were investigated after 24, 48, 96 and 168 h of Cd treatments. Photosynthetic rate (PN) decreased after 48 h of 20 μM Cd and 96 h of 5μM Cd addition, respectively. Chl a and total Chl content in leaves declined under 48 h of Cd exposure. Chl b content decreased on extending the period of Cd exposure to 96 h. The maximum quantum efficiency and potential photosynthetic capacity of PSII, indicated by Fv/Fm and Fv/Fo, respectively, were depressed after 96 h onset of Cd exposure. After 48 h of 5μM Cd and 24 h of 20 μM Cd treatments, the activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco, EC 4.1.39) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC, EC 4.1.1.31) in the leaves started to decrease, respectively. We found that the limitation of photosynthetic capacity in Cd stressed maize leaves was associated with Cd toxicity on the light and the dark stages. However, Cd stress initially reduced the activities of Rubisco and PEPC and subsequently affected the PSII electron transfer, suggesting that the Calvin cycle reactions in maize plants are the primary target of the Cd toxic effect rather than PSII. and H. Wang ... [et al.].
Chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence is a subtle reflection of primary reactions of photosynthesis. Intricate relationships between fluorescence kinetics and photosynthesis help our understanding of photosynthetic biophysical processes. Chl fluorescence technique is useful as a non-invasive tool in eco-physiological studies, and has extensively been used in assessing plant responses to environmental stress. The review gives a summary of some Chl fluorescence parameters currently used in studies of stress physiology of selected cereal crops, namely water stress, heat stress, salt stress, and chilling stress.
Gas exchange and fluorescence parameters were measured simultaneously in two Zea mays L. cultivars (Liri and 121C D8) to assess the relationship between the quantum yield of electron transport (ΦPS2) and the quantum yield of CO2 assimilation (ΦCO2) in response to photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD). The cv. Liri was grown under controlled environmental conditions in a climate chamber (CC) while cv. 121C D8 was grown in CC as well as outdoors (OT). By exposing the two maize cultivars grown in CC to an increasing PPFD, higher photosynthetic and photochemical rates were evidenced in cv. Liri than in cv. 121C D8. In Liri plants the ΦPS2/ΦCO2 ratio increased progressively up to 27 with increasing PPFD. This suggests that the reductive power was more utilised in non-assimilatory processes than in CO2 assimilation at high PPFD. On the contrary, by exposing 121C D8 plants to increasing PPFD, ΦPS2/ΦCO2 was fairly constant (around 11-13), indicating that the electron transport rate was tightly down regulated by CO2 assimilation. Although no significant differences were found between ΦPS2/ΦCO2 of the 121C D8 maize grown under CC and OT by exposing them to high PPFD, the photosynthetic rate and photochemical rates were higher in OT maize plants. and N. D'Ambrosio, C. Arena, A. Virzo de Santo.
We hypothesized that decreased stomatal conductance (gs) at elevated CO2 might decrease transpiration (E), increase leaf water potential (ΨW), and thereby protect net photosynthesis rate (PN) from heat damage in maize (Zea mays L) seedlings. To separate long-term effects of elevated CO2, plants grew at either ambient CO2 or elevated CO2. During high-temperature treatment (HT) at 45°C for 15 min, leaves were exposed either to ambient CO2 (380 μmol mol-1) or to elevated CO2 (560 μmol mol-1). HT reduced PN by 25 to 38% across four CO2 combinations. However, the gs and E did not differ among all CO2 treatments during HT. After returning the leaf temperature to 35°C within 30 min, gs and E were the same or higher than the initial values. Leaf water potential (ΨW) was slightly lower at ambient CO2, but not at elevated CO2. This study highlighted that elevated CO2 failed in protecting PN from 45°C via decreasing gs and ΨW., M. N. Qu, J. A. Bunce, Z. S. Shi., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The effect of a short (7 d), prolonged (14 d) soil drought (D) and (7 d) recovery (DR) on the leaf optical properties - reflectance (R), transmittance (T) and absorptance (A) in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and near infrared radiation (NIR) range of irradiation (750-1100 nm) was studied for maize and triticale genotypes differing in drought tolerance. The drought stress caused the changes in leaf optical properties parameters in comparison with non-drought plants. The observed harmful influence of drought was more visible for maize than triticale. and M. T. Grzesiak ... [et al].
Four temperature treatments were studied in the climate controlled growth chambers of the Georgia Envirotron: 25/20, 30/25, 35/30, and 40/35 °C during 14/10 h light/dark cycle. For the first growth stage (V3-5), the highest net photosynthetic rate (PN) of sweet corn was found for the lowest temperature of 28-34 µmol m-2 s-1 while the PN for the highest temperature treatment was 50-60 % lower. We detected a gradual decline of about 1 P N unit per 1 °C increase in temperature. Maximum transpiration rate (E) fluctuated between 0.36 and 0.54 mm h-1 (≈5.0-6.5 mm d-1) for the high temperature treatment and the minimum E fluctuated between 0.25 and 0.36 mm h-1 (≈3.5-5.0 mm d-1) for the low temperature treatment. Cumulative CO2 fixation of the 40/35 °C treatment was 33.7 g m-2 d-1 and it increased by about 50 % as temperature declined. The corresponding water use efficiency (WUE) decreased from 14 to 5 g(CO2) kg-1(H2O) for the lowest and highest temperature treatments, respectively. Three main factors affected WUE, PN, and E of Zea: the high temperature which reduced PN, vapor pressure deficit (VPD) that was directly related to E but did not affect PN, and quasi stem conductance (QC) that was directly related to PN but did not affect E. As a result, WUE of the 25/20 °C temperature treatment was almost three times larger than that of 40/35 °C temperature treatment. and J. Ben-Asher, A. Garcia y Garcia, G. Hoogenboom.