Roots of six Cucurbitaceae species were exposed to low (14 °C), middle (24 °C), and high (34 °C) temperatures while aerial parts of plants were maintained at ambient temperatures between 23 and 33 °C. The highest dry mass (DM), photon-saturated rate of net photosynthesis (PNsat), and stomatal conductance (gs) were found at 14 °C in figleaf gourd and turban squash plants, at 24 °C in cucumber and melon plants, while bitter melon and wax gourd plants had lower DM, PNsat, and gs at 14 °C than at 24 or 34 °C. Sub-or supra-optimum root temperatures did not induce photoinhibition but induced slight changes in the quantum efficiency of photosystem 2, PS2 (ΦPS2) and photochemical quenching (qp). Meanwhile, xylem sap abscisic acid (ABA) concentration followed a contrasting change pattern to that of gs. Thus the change in PNsat was mainly due to the change in gs and roots played an important role in the regulation of stomatal behaviour by delivering increased amount of ABA to shoots at sub-or supra-optimum root temperatures. and Y. P. Zhang ... [et al.].
The effects of salinity (sea water at 0 ‰ versus 30 ‰) on gross rates of O2 evolution (JO2) and net rates of CO2 uptake (PN) were measured in the halotolerant estuarine C4 grasses Spartina patens, S. alterniflora, S. densiflora, and Distichlis spicata in controlled growth environments. Under high irradiance, salinity had no significant effect on the intercellular to ambient CO2 concentration ratio (Ci/Ca). However, during photosynthesis under limiting irradiance, the maximum quantum efficiency of CO2 fixation decreased under salinity across species, suggesting there is increased leakage of the CO2 delivered to the bundle sheath cells by the C4 pump. Growth under salinity did not affect the maximum intrinsic efficiency of photosystem 2, PS2 (FV/FM) in these species, suggesting salinity had no effect on photosynthesis by inactivation of PS2 reaction centers. Under saline conditions and high irradiance, PN was reduced by 75 % in Spartina patens and S. alterniflora, whereas salinity had no effect on PN in S. densiflora or D. spicata. This inhibition of PN in S. patens and S. alterniflora was not due to an effect on stomatal conductance since the ratio of
Ci/Ca did not decrease under saline conditions. In growth with and without salt, PN was saturated at -500 µmol(quantum) m-2 s-1 while JO2 continued to increase up to full sunlight, indicating that carbon assimilation was not tightly coupled to photochemistry in these halophytic species. This increase in alternative electron flow under high irradiance might be an inherent function in these halophytes for dissipating excess energy. and B. R. Maricle ... [et al.].
In flag leaves of four cultivars of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grown in the field under a triple-line-source sprinkler system, that produces a linear soil salinity gradient, a decrease in net carbon dioxide assimilation rate (PN) and stomatal conductance for water vapour (gs) was found. These changes were related to salinity tolerance at moderate salinity. With increasing salinity, PN was saturated at low irradiances and stomatal frequencies increased. A decrease in photosystem 2 (PS2) efficiency was not found in the field after dark adaptation even at high salinity. Salinity induced only small decreases in the actual PS2 efficiency at midday steady-state photosynthesis, indicating that the photosynthetic electron transport was little affected by salinity. Therefore, using PS2 efficiency estimates in attached leaves is probably not a useful tool to screen barley genotypes grown under saline conditions in the field for salinity tolerance. In contrast, excised flag leaves from high salinity plots, once in the laboratory, exhibited a decrease in the variable to maximum chlorophyll fluorescence ratio as compared to excised leaves from control plants. On the other hand, the PN rate might allow for a good discrimination between tolerant and non-tolerant cultivars. and R. Belkhodja ... [et al.].
The invasion of Spartina alterniflora along the coasts of China has allowed this C4 grass to outcompete often much of the native, salt marsh vegetation, such as Phragmites australis (C3 grass), in the Yangtze Estuary. In this study, native grass, P. australis, and
non-native grass, S. alterniflora, were grown in fresh and saline water (moderate salinity of 15‰ and high salinity of 30‰) to compare the effects of salinity on photosynthetic and biochemical parameters in combination with measurement temperatures. The C4 grass, S. alterniflora, showed a greater CO2 assimilation rate than P. australis, across the tested temperatures. The net photosynthetic rate declined significantly with increasing salinity as a result of inhibited stomatal conductance together with a greater decrease in the maximum rate of electron transport (Jmax). In P. australis, salt treatments shifted the optimum temperatures for the maximum rate of carboxylation by Rubisco (Vcmax) and J max to lower temperatures. S. alterniflora showed a greater salt tolerance to moderate stress than that of the native grass, with lower sensitivity of V cmax, Jmax, and the maximum rate of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylation. Both moderate and high stress decreased significantly stomatal conductance of S. alterniflora; high salinity reduced significantly photosynthetic efficiency and Jmax. Our findings indicated that the combination of stomatal conductance, enzyme activity, and electron transport affected the photosynthetic performance of the plants in response to salt treatments. The success of S. alterniflora could be probably attributed to its C4 photosynthetic pathway and the tolerance to moderate salinity. In this study, a modified parameterization of the photosynthetic model was suggested to support a more reasonable simulation of photosynthesis under salt stress., Z.-M. Ge, L.-Q. Zhang, L. Yuan, C. Zhang., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Salt stress causes decrease in plant growth and productivity by disrupting physiological processes, especially photosynthesis. The accumulation of intracellular sodium ions at salt stress changes the ratio of K : Na, which seems to affect the bioenergetic processes of photosynthesis. Both multiple inhibitory effects of salt stress on photosynthesis and possible salt stress tolerance mechanisms in cyanobacteria and plants are reviewed. and P. Sudhir, S. D. S. Murthy.
This study compared the effects of salt (NaCl) stress on growth, photosynthesis and solute accumulation in seedlings of the three poplar (Populus bonatii) cultivars Populus × BaiLin-2 (BL-2), Populus × BaiLin-3 (BL-3), and Populus × Xjiajiali (XJJL). The results showed that BL-2 and BL-3 could not survive at a salinity level of 200 mM but XJJL grew well. The effect of moderate salt stress on leaf extension of the three cultivars was only slight. At a high level of salinity, however, NaCl clearly inhibited leaf extension of BL-2 and BL-3, whereas it did not affect that of XJJL, and the net photosynthetic rate (PN) in XJJL was much higher than those of BL-2 and BL-3. The lower PN of BL-2 and BL-3 might be associated with the high concentration of Na+ and/or Cl- accumulated in the leaves, which could be toxic in photosynthesis system. In summary, the greater salt-tolerance of XJJL compared with that of BL-2 and BL-3 might be explained by the higher PN and photosynthetic area, the lower Na+/K- ratio and Cl- in the leaf, and the greater accumulation of soluble sugars and SO4 2-. and W. Chen ... [et al.].
The effects of NaCl treatment were analysed in two species of considerably different resistance. In glycophyte, the content of ascorbate decreased but lipophilic antioxidants (α-tocopherol, plastochromanol, and hydroxy-plastochromanol) increased due to 150 mM NaCl. In halophyte, 300 mM NaCl caused a significant increase in hydrophilic antioxidants (ascorbate, total glutathione) but not in the lipophilic antioxidants. The redox states of plastoquinone (PQ) and P700 were also differently modulated by salinity in both species, as illustrated by an increased oxidation of these components in glycophyte. The presented data suggest that E. salsugineum was able to avoid a harmful singlet oxygen production at PSII, which might be, at least in part, attributed to the induction of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle. Another important cue of a high salinity resistance of this species might be the ability to sustain a highly reduced states of PQ pool and P700 under stress, which however, drastically affect the NADPH yield., M. Wiciarz, E. Niewiadomska, J. Kruk., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The effect of four different NaCl concentrations (from 0 to 102 mM NaCl) on seedlings leaves of two corn (Zea mays L.) varieties (Aristo and Arper) was investigated through chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence parameters, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, photosynthetic pigments concentration, tissue hydration and ionic accumulation. Salinity treatments showed a decrease in maximal efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm) in dark-adapted leaves. Moreover, the actual PSII efficiency (ϕPSII), photochemical quenching coefficient (qp), proportion of PSII centers effectively reoxidized, and the fraction of light used in PSII photochemistry (%P) were also dropped with increasing salinity in light-adapted leaves. Reductions in these parameters were greater in Aristo than in Arper. The tissue hydration decreased in salt-treated leaves as did the photosynthesis, stomatal conductance (g s) and photosynthetic pigments concentration essentially at 68 and 102 mM NaCl. In both varieties the reduction of photosynthesis was mainly due to stomatal closure and partially to PSII photoinhibition. The differences between the two varieties indicate that Aristo was more susceptible to salt-stress damage than Arper which revealed a moderate regulation of the leaf ionic accumulation. and H. Hichem, A. El Naceur, D. Mounir.
Six-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) seedlings were grown in open top chambers (OTCs) at ambient (AC) or elevated (ambient + 400 µmol mol-1; EC) CO2 concentration for three years (1996-1998). Chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence of current and one-year-old needles was measured in the field at two-weekly intervals in the period July-October 1998. In addition, Chl, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) concentrations in both needle age classes were determined monthly during the same period. Chl fluorescence parameters were not significantly affected by EC, suggesting there was no response of the light reactions and the photochemical efficiency of photosystem 2. Chl concentrations were not significantly different but a reduced N concentration was observed in needles of EC treatment. Significant differences between needle age classes were observed for all parameters, but were most apparent under EC and toward the end of the growing season, possibly due to an acclimation process. As a result, significant interactions between CO2 treatment, needle age class, and season were found. This study emphasizes the importance of repeated measures including different leaf/needle age classes to assess the photosynthetic response of trees under EC. and B. Gielen, M. E. Jach, R. Ceulemans.
Plant essential oils (EOs) have been reported to have health benefit properties and their preventive and therapeutic use in animals is expected to increase in the future. We evaluated the influence of five essential oils obtained from plant species which are known to have positive antimicrobial, antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects – sage EO from Salvia officinalis L. (Lamiaceae), oregano EO from Origanum vulgare L. (Lamiaceae), thyme EO from Thymus vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae), clove EO from Syzygium aromaticum L. (Myrtaceae) and cinnamon EO from Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume (Lauraceae) on the growth and development of mouse preimplantation embryos in vivo. Essential oils were added to commercial diet at concentrations of 0.25 % for sage EO, thyme EO, clove EO, cinnamon EO and 0.1 % for oregano EO, and fed to ICR female mice for 2 weeks ad libitum. Females were then mated with males of the same strain. Embryos obtained on Day 4 of pregnancy at the blastocyst stage were stained by morphological triple staining (Hoechst, PI, Calcein-AM) and evaluated using fluorescent microscopy. The effects of essential oils were estimated by the viability of embryos, number of nuclei and distribution of embryos according to nucleus number. Cinnamon EO significantly decreased the number of nuclei and the distribution of embryos according to nucleus number was significantly altered. Sage EO negatively influenced the distribution of embryos according to nucleus number. Clove and oregano EOs induced a significantly increased rate of cell death. Only thyme EO had no detectable effects on embryo development. In conclusion, none of the essential oils had any positive effect on embryo development, but some of them reduced the number of cells and increased the incidence of cell death., M. Domaracký, P. Rehák, Š. Juhás, J. Koppel., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy