A data base was generated for quantifying effects of thermal time (degree-days) on the appearance of new leaves, the expansion of such leaves to maximum area, their death, the appearance of new internodes below the node associated with such leaves, and the extension of these internodes to maximum length. The data base for a list of crop (agronomic and horticultural), weed, and native Tallgrass Prairie plants has been summarized, with equations for the above events as a function of degree days, with appropriate base temperatures and maximum cut-off temperatures, in a Java applet which is available at a website with the URL <http://th190-50.agn.uiuc.edu>. Associated graphical plots such as shown in this paper are also given. Branching behavior was accounted for. These events predict the effect of thermal time on leaf age and its height in the plant canopy, both important factors needed for upscaling functions for leaf behavior to those for behavior of the plant canopy. The data base is evolving to include coefficients for other species. Coefficients are used to predict the leaf area index of the canopy, which is important for predicting evapotranspiration from the crop and the protection of the soil from erosion. and X. Pan ... [et al,].
A differential mechanical technique for tissue separation, based on the different physical resistance to grinding between mesophyll (M) and bundle sheath (BS) cells, was tested on dicotyledonous C4 plants A triplex canscens, A triplex halimus, Gomphrena globosa, Amaranthus retroflexus, Amaranthus caudatus and Portulaca oleracea. A metal sieve (35 mesh) was placed inside a mortar and pieces of leaves (0.5 cm2) were ground in an aqueous medium on the sieve to obtain a homogenate. The homogenate was at first collected below the sieve and was then filtered through six layers of muslin. Microscopic examination showed that the filtrate was enriched by the M cells and the residue was enriched by BS cells, few of which were broken. The BS cell fraction was then vigorously ground and filtered; this second filtrate was named the BS cell fraction and the first filtrate was named the M cell fraction. Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39) (RuBPC) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) (PEPC) were assayed, and chlorophyll determinations and protein estimations were made on both fractions. As expected, PEPC showed higher activities in the M fractions; contrary to expectation RuBPC was present in M cell fractions in the six dicotyledonous C4 plants tested. The relative high RuBPC activities found in the M fraction could not be explained in terms of bundle sheath contamination.
An unexpectedly large proportion of C4 grasses was found in a moderately temperate and moist Himalayan location during monsoon period. 79 % of total grasses occurring in the area were found to be C4. Several grasses hitberto unreported as C4 háve now been recorded. The principál cause for the natural abundance of C4 species is presumably low atmospheric CO2 levels rallua' tlian the aridity and warmer temperatures. The finding adds a new dimension to our knowledge of natural distribution of the C4 species.
Mean leaf inclination of the arctic and alpine shrub Dryas octopetala is a function of latitude and this functional relationship is consistent with a model that maximizes photosynthesis of the total plant canopy.
In CO2-free air, the CO2 postirradiation burst (PIB) in wheat leaves was measured with an IRGA in an open gas exchange system to ascertain its potential role in alleviating photoinhibition of photorespiratory carbon oxidation (PCO) under a CO2 deficiency. A pre-photosynthesized leaf having been transferred into CO2-free air exhibited a typical CO2 PIB following darkening which could last, with a rate substantially higher than that of dark respiration, over a long time period (at least more than 2 h) of continuously alternate irradiation (2 min)-dark (2 min)-light transitions. The rate and the time of PIB maintenance, although unaffected by the exogenous dark respiration inhibitor iodoacetic acid, were stimulated largely by increasing irradiance and O2 level, and suppressed by DCMU and N-ethyl-maleimide (NEM). They also showed a large photosynthates-loading dependence. In a darkened leaf, the irradiation-induced PIB in the CO2-free air was clearly revealed and it was characterized by an initial net uptake of respiratory CO2. The light-induced PIB was accelerated by increasing irradiance, and delayed by prolonging the period of darkening the leaves. Hence, the origin of carbon needed for a long-term CO2 evolution in the CO2-free air might not only be derived directly from the pool of intermediates in the Calvin cycle, but it might also arise indirectly from a remotely fixed reserve of photosynthates in the leaf via a PCO-mediated, yet to be further clarified, mobilization process. Such mobilization of photosynthates probably exerted an important role in coordination of photochemical reactions and carbon assimilation during photosynthesis in C3 plants under the photoinhibitory conditions. and Fusheng Xiong, Yuzhu Gao, Ping Song.
Field-grown plants of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Akcent) in the growth phase 30 DC (beginning of stem extension) were exposed to a one-shot application of a commercial product containing cyanazine (Bladex 50 SC) in two doses, C30 and C60 (30 and 60 mg m-2). The reaction of the plant photosynthetic system was followed non-destructively using chlorophyll fluorescence induction (the O-J-I-P transient) within three weeks after the application in the fifth developed leaf and three further gradually appearing leaves. An immediate response of plants to the application of cyanazine and a regeneration of plants from cyanazine action were detected. The biological (plant dry mass) and crop yield production (the number and mass of grains in a spike) were analyzed in time of full ripeness. The crop yield was lowered by the herbicide effect to the same level for the two doses used. and M. Matoušková, J. Nauš, M. Flašarová.
Iron is an essential limiting factor for primary production in many marine systems. The present study investigated differential regulation of protein expression in marine phytoplankton Prymnesium parvum under low Fe concentration. The phytoplankton was grown in f/2 culture medium in artificial seawater with low (0.0025 μM) and high (0.05 μM) Fe concentrations. Two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometer analysis were performed for protein identification and characterization. The growth of the alga declined substantially under the low Fe compared to the high Fe concentration. Under low Fe conditions, P. parvum upregulated 10 proteins including chloroplastic ATP synthase subunit b, D2 protein of PSII, D1 protein of PSII reaction centre, and light harvesting complex II protein, most of which are associated with photosynthetic activities in PSII. The results suggest that the marine alga P. parvum altered the biosynthesis of several photosynthetic proteins in order to cope with low Fe conditions., M. M. Rahman, M. A. Rahman, T. Maki, T. Nishiuchi, T. Asano, H. Hasegawa., and Obsahuje bibliografii
A modified exponential model was used to describe light-response curves of Nicotiana tabacum L. The accuracies of an exponential model, a nonrectangular hyperbola model, a rectangular hyperbola model, a modified rectangular hyperbola model and the modified exponential model were evaluated by Mean square error (MSE) and Mean absolute error (MAE). The tests MSE and MAE of the modified exponential model were the lowest among the five models. The light saturation point (LSP) obtained by the exponential model, the nonrectangular hyperbola model and the rectangular hyperbola model were much lower than the measured values, and the maximum net photosynthetic rates (Pmax) calculated from these models, were greater than the measured values. Pmax at LSP of 1,077 μmol m-2 s-1 calculated by the modified exponential model was 12.34 μmol(CO2) m-2 s-1, which was more accurate than the values obtained from the modified rectangular hyperbola model. The results show that the modified exponential model is superior to other models for describing light-response curves. and Z. Y. Chen ... [et al.].
A simple method of a bicolor (multicolor), fast-Fourier, PAM chlorophyll fluorometry has been developed to obtain fluorescence induction curves. Quantum yields of PSII photochemistry were determined with blue and red simultaneously applied pulsed measuring lights for three subsequent 20-min periods of dark-, light-adaptation under actinic light and dark recovery. Measuring lights were cross-combined with blue and red actinic lights and saturation pulses. Coefficients of chromatic divergence were calculated as a ratio of the quantum yields obtained by red measuring light to that obtained by blue measuring light. Adaptation of Ficus benjamina and Hordeum vulgare leaves under blue (but not red) actinic light resulted in the sufficient increase of chromatic divergence. In addition, fraction of active, non(photo)inhibited, PSII centers was shown to be dependent on the color of measuring light. Thus, color of the light sources should be considered when reporting results of parameters evaluated from fluorescence induction curves., V. Lysenko, D. Lazár, T. Varduny., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Transients of chlorophyll fluorescence in photosynthetic objects are often measured using short pulses of exciting radiation, which has recently been employed to capture kinetic images of fluorescence at the macroscopic level. Here we describe an instrument introducing this principle to recording of two dimensional fluorescence transients in microscopic objects. A modified fluorescence microscope is equipped with a CCD camera intensified by a micro-channel plate image amplifier. The microscopic field is irradiated simultaneously by three types of radiation: actinic radiation, saturating flashes, and pulsed measuring radiation. The measuring pulses are generated by a light-emitting diode and their duration is between 10 to 250 µs. The detection of fluorescence images (300×400 pixels, 8 bit) has a maximum time resolution of 40 ms and is gated in synchrony with the exciting pulses. This allows measuring on a background of a continuous actinic radiation up to irradiance that can elicit the maximal fluorescence yield (FM). On the other hand, the integral irradiance of the objects by the measuring radiation is very low, e.g., 0.08 µmol m-2 s-1 at 0.05 µm spatial resolution and 0.006 µmol m-2 s-1 at 4 µm spatial resolution. This allows a reliable recording of F0 even in very short time intervals (e.g., 5×80 ms). The software yields fluorescence kinetic curves for objects in user-selected areas as well as complete false-colour maps of the essential fluorescence kinetics parameters (FM, FO, FV, FV/FM, etc.) showing a two-dimensional distribution of their values. Several examples demonstrate that records of fluorescence kinetics can be obtained with a reasonable signal-to-noise ratio with all standard microscope objectives and with object sizes reaching from segments of leaf tissue to individual algal cells or chloroplasts. and H. Küpper ... [et al.].