The influence of calcium channel blockers and ionophore on Cu2+-induced changes of the photosynthetic activity of runner bean plants (Phaseolus coccineus L.) was investigated. Excess Cu2+ was applied to leaves by injection or via the roots to examine a short/local or a long time/systemic effect of this metal, respectively. The changes in fluorescence parameters indicated that the mechanism of toxic action of Cu2+ ions on the photosynthetic apparatus was only partially connected with Ca2+ or Ca2+ channels. In young plants Ca2+ diminished especially photochemical and nonphotochemical dissipative processes induced by short- and long-term influence of excess Cu2+. Blocking of Ca2+ channels did not change direct Cu2+ action on the photosynthetic activity, however, their opening distinctly intensified the inhibitory effect of the metal. After a longer accumulation peri od the effect of Cu2+ ions did not change significantly due to modified Ca2+ penetration through membranes (except that caused by La3+). Copper directly introduced into older leaves diminished only at its highest concentration the activity both of the donor and acceptor sides of photosystem 2 (PS2) connected with Rfd decrease and increase of LNU. A similar effect was observed also after a long-term Cu2+ action, but disturbances on the acceptor side of PS2 were observed only at a higher Ca2+ content in the nutrient solution. Ca2+ ions, particularly after openning of channels, intensified direct inhibitory Cu2+ action on the photosynthetic activity expressed by decreased values of Fv/F0 and Rfd. Lanthanum and verapamil, at a lower Ca2+ content in the medium, decreased the photosynthetic activity of Cu2+-treated plants. This effect was also seen after additional Ca2+ supply to the leaves. and W. Maksymiec, T. Baszyński.
The responses of growth and leaf gas exchange to increasing salinity were measured in two halophytes [Atriplex nummularia (C4), Atriplex hastata (C3)] and one glycophyte [Hordeum vulgare (C3)]. The growth (dry mass) of both the halophytes was significantly increased, by 54 and 17 %, respectively, as salinity was increased in the range 0-200 mol m-^ NaCl. However, net CO2 assimilation rate (Pn)- the intercellular CO2 concentration (Cj) and leaf conductance (^1) were unaffected. At higher levels of salinity (in the range 400 - 600 mol m"^ NaCl) the growth of the two halophytes was severely reduced (by 44 and 51 %, respectively). At these levels of salinity q were significantly depressed. 25 mol m*^ NaCl significantly reduced the growth of H. vulgare by 44 %, but had no effect on Py^, g| and Cj. However, at 100 mol m'^ NaCl, where growth was decreased by 62 %, and g| were significantly reduced while q was unaltered. There was thus, no association between the effects of salinity on growth and leaf gas exchange at low salinities (25- 200 mol m'3 NaCl). At higher salinities, leaf gas exchange and growth were both severely inhibited but it is unlikely that a direct causal relationship existed. At these salinities sodium concentration in the leaves (tissue water basis) was above 400 mol m'3 in the halophytes and above 100 mol m'^ in H. vulgare which possibly affected both growth and leaf gas exchange independently. Also, the effects of salinity on total leaf chlorophyll concentration and net CO2 assimilation rate expressed on a chlorophyll (chl) basis (Pchi) were no better related to growth than was Pn
7-day soil drought followed by 7-day rehydration was applied to potted German chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) plants at the beginning of their generative stage. Plants of a wild type (WT), plus two diploid (2n) and two tetraploid (4n) genotypes were studied, in order to examine the alterations in chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoids (Car) contents, and chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) parameters during water shortage and rehydration. The fresh mass of the anthodia after the recovery was also studied.
WT plants adjust better to water stress than modern breeding genotypes, because drought resulted in the low fall in leaf water content of WT, the lowest decrease in the fresh mass of its anthodia (a 41% decrease from the control), and the most elastic response of the photosynthetic apparatus. 4n C11/2 strain plants suffered from the highest reduction in anthodia yield (87%), and had the lowest constitutive pigment contents. It was also the only genotype which revealed nontypical alterations in various CF parameters obtained on a dark- and light-adapted leaf. During drought, a big increase was noticed in minimal, maximal, and variable fluorescence of PSII reaction centres in the dark- adapted (F0, Fm and Fv, respectively), and in the light-adapted state (F0', Fm' and Fv')., It was accompanied by the biggest decline in linear electron transport rate (ETR), quantum efficiency of PSII electron transport (ΦPSII) and photochemical quenching coefficient (qP). These alterations were prolonged to the stage when the normal leaf water content was retained. On the contrary, C6/2 strain plants had the highest constitutive Chl and Car contents, which additionally increased after rehydration, similarly to the values of F0, Fm and Fv, which reflects the high photosynthetic potential of this genotype. It was accompanied by the relatively high yield of its anthodia after drought. Considering the drop in the yield triggered by drought, it seems to be the only parameter which may be linked with the ploidy level.
Although the yield formation of chamomile strains cannot simply be estimated by CF assay, this technique may serve as an additional tool in the selection of plants to drought. The following circumstances should be submitted; namely: measurement at the proper developmental stage of plants, in different water regimes, and an analysis of various CF parameters. The increase in F0 and F0', and the reduction in ETR, Fv'/Fm', ΦPSII and qP values in response to water deficit should be an indicator of the impairment of the photosynthetic apparatus through drought., and R. Bączek-Kwinta ... [et al.].
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
Shade treatment was applied to tall fescue with 30% full light. The results showed that shade increased chlorophyll (Chl) content per unit leaf mass, decreased the Chl a/b ratio in the mature leaves, and decreased effective quantum yield based on Chl fluorescence compared to the full light treatment. Shade stress did not cause increased contents of malondiadehyde at the early stages of leaf development. However, normalized vegetation indices were able to detect shade stress. Chloroplasts in the shaded leaves are arranged tightly against the periclinal cell wall and are in a spindle shape. There were no differences in the number of grana per chloroplast or grana size (thylakoids per granum) between shade and full light treatment. In conclusion, tall fescue leaves showed unique ultrastructure changes. Turfgrass managers could use vegetation indices developed from the leaf light reflection spectrum as an effective tool to assess shade stress levels and make management decisions.
a1_This study evaluated the relationship between photosynthetic carbon accumulation and symbiotic nitrogen nutrition in young fully expanded leaves of 30 nodulated cowpea genotypes grown in the field at Manga, Ghana, in 2005 and 2006. Estimates of fixed-N in photosynthetic leaves revealed greater symbiotic N in genotypes with higher photosynthetic rates and increased leaf transpiration rate/efficiency. There was also greater C accumulation in genotypes with higher symbiotic N and/or total N. Additionally, genotypes with high contents of C per unit of leaf total N exhibited greater C per unit of leaf N-fixed. The C/N and C/Rubisco-N ratios were generally similar in their magnitude when compared to the C/N-fixed ratio due possibly to the fact that Rubisco accounts for a high proportion of photosynthetic leaf N, irrespective of whether the enzyme was formed from soil N or symbiotic N. Cowpea genotypes that relied heavily on soil N for their N nutrition exhibited much higher C/N-fixed ratios, while conversely those that depended more on symbiosis for meeting their N demands showed markedly lower C/N-fixed values. For example, genotypes Omondaw, Bensogla, IT93K-2045-29, and Sanzie, which respectively derived 83.9, 83.1, 82.9, and 76.3% N from fixation, recorded lower C/N-fixed ratios of 10.7, 12.2, 12.1, and 13.0 mg mg-1 in that order in 2005. In contrast, genotypes Botswana White, IT94D-437-1, TVu1509, and Apagbaala, which obtained 14.8, 15.0, 26.4, and 26.0% of their N nutrition from fixation, showed high C/N-fixed values of 84.0, 69.0, 35.2, and 40.6 mg.mg-1, respectively, in 2005., a2_This clearly indicates that genotypes that obtained less N from symbiosis and more N from soil revealed very high C/N-fixed values, an argument that was reinforced by the negative correlations obtained between the three C/N ratios (i.e. C/N, C/Rubisco-N, and C/N-fixed) and leaf N concentration, percentage nitrogen derived from fixation, total N content, amount of N-fixed, and Rubisco N. These data suggest a direct link between photosynthetic C accumulation and symbiotic N assimilation in leaves of nodulated cowpea, and where genotypes derived a large proportion of their N from fixation, photosynthetic C yield substantially increased., A. K. Belane, F. D. Dakora., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
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 aim of this study was to investigate the effects of silicon in alleviating cadmium stress in maize plants grown in a nutrient solution and to evaluate the potential of the spectral emission parameters and the ratio of red fluorescence (Fr) to far-red fluorescence (Ffr) in assessing the beneficial effects of Si. An experiment was carried out using a nutrient solution with a toxic dose of Cd and six doses of Si; biomass, Cd, Si, and photosynthetic pigments of the plants were measured. Chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence analysis demonstrated that Si alleviated Cd toxicity in plants. Chl fluorescence measurements were sensitive in detecting such effects even when significant changes in biomass production and concentrations of photosynthetic pigments were not observed. The spectral emission and the Fr/Ffr ratio were sensitive to the effects of Si. Silicon caused a reduction in the translocation of Cd to the shoots of maize plants., A. J. Silva, C. W. A. Nascimento, A. S. Gouveia-Neto., and Obsahuje seznam literatury