Periodic drought fluctuation is a common phenomenon in Northwest China. We analyzed the response of Chinese dwarf cherry (Cerasus humilis) seedlings, a dwarf shrub species with considerably strong adaptabilities, exposed to water stress (WS) by withholding water for 21 d, and subsequent recovery of 7 d. Leaf relative water content (LRWC), net photosynthetic rate (PN), maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), and effective quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (ΦPSII) decreased with increasing water deficit. In contrast, the nonphotochemical quenching of Chl fluorescence (NPQ) significantly increased, as well as the amounts of violaxanthin (V) + antheraxanthin (A) + zeaxanthin (Z). In the whole levels, the photosynthetic pigment composition did not display significant changes in WS seedlings. However, the de-epoxidation state of xanthophyll cycle pigments [(Z+0.5A)/VAZ ] generally exhibited higher values in WS seedlings. The significant inhibition of de-epoxidation by dithiothreitol (DTT) and negligible changes of epoxidation of Z by glucosamine (Gla) were both observed; the slight but stably upregulated transcript level of violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE) and downregulated zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZEP) expression profile were found during WS period, indicating that they were regulated on post-transcript levels. VDE activity, via the accumulation of Z and A, which confers a greater capacity of photoprotection, appears to contribute to the survival of severely stressed plants. and X. S. Song ... [et al.].
Effect of drought on the mechanisms of energy dissipation was evaluated in two-month-old Arachis hypogaea cvs. 57-422, 73-30, and GC 8-35. Plants were submitted to three treatments: control (C), mild water stress (S1), and severe water stress (S2). Photosynthetic performance was evaluated as the Hill and Mehler reactions. These activities were correlated with the contents of the low and high potential forms of cytochrome (cyt) b 559, plastoquinone, cyt b 563, and cyt f. Additionally, the patterns of carotenoids and chlorophylls (Chls), as well as the alterations of Chl a fluorescence parameters were studied. Under mild water stress the regulatory mechanism at the antennae level was effective for 57-422 and GC 8-35, while in the cv. 73-30 an overcharge of photosynthetic apparatus occurred. Relative to this cv., under S1 the stability of carotene and the dissipative cycle around photosystem (PS) 2 became an important factor for the effective protection of the PS2 reaction centres. The cyclic electron flow around PS1 was important for energy dissipation under S1 only for the cvs. 57-422 and 73-30. and J. A. Lauriano ... [et al.].
The effect of Hg++ was studied on the arrangement and photoactivity of NADPH:protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR) in homogenates of dark-grown wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves. 77 K fluorescence emission spectra of the homogenates were recorded before and after the irradiation of the homogenates and the spectra were deconvoluted into Gaussian components. The mercury treatment caused a precipitation of the membrane particles, which was followed by a remarkable decrease of the fluorescence yield. 10-3 M Hg++ decreased the ratio of the 655 nm-emitting protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) form to the 633 nm-emitting form. 10-2 M Hg++ shifted the short wavelength band to 629-630 nm and a 655 nm form was observed which was inactive on irradiation. This inhibition may be caused by serious alteration of the enzyme structure resulting in the trans-localisation of NADPH within the active site of POR. and K. Lenti, F. Fodor, B. Böddi.
Mutants with altered leaf morphology are useful as markers for the study of genetic systems and for probing the leaf differentiation process. One such mutant with deficient greening and altered development of the leaf mesophyll appeared in an inbred line of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). The objectives of the present study were to determine the inheritance of the mutant leaf trait and its morphological characterisation. The mutation, named mesophyll cell defective1 (mcd1), has pleiotropic effects and it is inherited as a monogenic recessive. The structure and tissue organization of mcd1 leaves are disrupted. In mcd1 leaves, the mesophyll has prominent intercellular spaces, and palisade and spongy tissues are not properly shaped. The mutant palisade cells also appear to be more vacuolated and with a reduced number of chloroplasts than the wild type leaves of equivalent developmental stage. The lamina thickness of mcd1 leaves is greatly variable and in some areas no mesophyll cells are present between the adaxial and abaxial epidermis. The leaf area of the mcd1 mutant is extremely reduced as well as the stem height. A deficient accumulation of photosynthetic pigments characterizes both cotyledons and leaves of the mutant. In mcd1 leaves, chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence imaging evidences a spatial heterogeneity of leaf photosynthetic performance. Little black points, which correspond to photosystem II (PSII) maximum efficiency (Fv/Fm) values close to zero, characterize the mcd1 leaves. Similarly, the lightadapted quantum efficiency (ΦPSII) values show a homogeneous distribution over wild type leaf lamina, while the damaged areas in mcd1 leaves, represented by yellow zones, are prominent. In conclusion, the loss of function of the MCD1 gene in Helianthus annuus is correlated with a variegated leaf phenotype characterized by a localized destruction of mesophyll morphogenesis and defeat of PSII activity. and M. Fambrini ... [et al.].
Mesophyll conductance (gm) is essential to determine accurate physiological parameters used to model photosynthesis in forest ecosystems. This study aimed to determine the effects of time of day on photosynthetic parameters, and to assess the effect of using either intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) or chloroplast CO2 concentration (Cc), on maximum carboxylation velocity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), Vcmax. We used Amazonian saplings of Myrcia paivae and Minquartia guianensis. Photosynthetic parameters were measured using an infrared gas analyzer (IRGA); gm was determined using both gas exchange and chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence and gas-exchange data alone. Leaf thickness (LT) and specific leaf area (SLA) were also measured. Air temperature, relative humidity or understory light did not correlate with gm and on average daily IRGA-fluorometer-determined gm was 0.04 mol(CO2) m-2 s-1 for M. paivae and 0.05 mol(CO2) m-2 s-1 for M. guianensis. Stomatal conductance (gs), gm, electron transport rate (JF), and light-saturated net photosynthetic rate (PNmax) were lower in the afternoon than in the morning. However, no effect of time of day was observed on Vcmax. LT and SLA did not affect any of the examined parameters.
IRGA-determined g m was almost the double of the value obtained using the IRGA-fluorescence method. Vcmax values determined using Cc were about 25% higher than those obtained using Ci, which highlighted the importance of using Cc in Vcmax calculation. Decline in PNmax at the end of the afternoon reflected variations in gs and gm rather than changes in Vcmax. Diurnal variation in gm appeared to be associated more with endogenous than with atmospheric factors. and H. C. S. Nascimento, R. A. Marenco.
The number of C4 plants living in Europe is increased to 120, and data on geographic origin, metabolic subtype, microecology and biotype, are given and compared with previous data. Our data agree with current ideas regarding the origin and biotype of the C4 plants, and only partially regarding ecology. At present, many C4 plants grow on disturbed sites or in stressed conditions, but ťhere is a lesser number of xerophytes than is currently thought and, conversely, some of them grow in favourable conditions. Among the latter mentioned, hydrophytic plants stand out because of their relatively great number and originality, as well as because no previous work on the ecology of C4 plants has indicated this.
We measured the diurnal changes in net photosynthetic rate (PN) and stomatal conductance (gs) of the leaves of a liana, Enkleia malaccensis Griff. (Thymelaeaceae), at the canopy level in the lowland tropical rainforest at Pasoh, Peninsular Malaysia. The measurements were made from a canopy walkway system, 30 m from the ground for 3 d in March 2003. PN increased with increasing photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) before noon, though PN was not enhanced by the strong radiation hit in the afternoon. Plotting g s at saturating PAR (>0.5 mmol m-2 s-1) against the vapour pressure deficit (VPD) failed to reveal a significant correlation between VPD and gs, and gs became very low at VPD >2.5 kPa. The relationship between PN and gs was fitted on the same regression line irrespective of measuring day, indicating that this relationship was not influenced by either VPD or leaf temperature (T L). Therefore, in the liana E. malaccensis, an increase in VPD leads to partial stomatal closure and, subsequently, reductions in PN and the midday depression of PN of this plant. and A. C. Tay ... [et al.].