In the present study, we investigated the antioxidative potential in leaves of the chromatic (CC) versus green (GC) Amaranthus tricolor L. under moderate high-temperature stress at 45°C. Before heat stress, CC had significantly higher levels of betacyanins [about 3.2 mg g-1(FM)] than the green [1.8 mg g-1(FM) (p<0.01), while similar chlorophyll (Chl) content [about 2 mg g-1(FM)] was observed between both cultivars. After exposure to high temperature (45°C) for 6 days, betacyanins in leaves of CC were remarkably increased (about 2 times of that in control samples grown at 30°C). In contrast, betacyanins in GC significantly decreased by 56% in comparison with that of the control. Chl level in CC was higher than that in GC after heat stress for 6 days. Flavonoids and total phenolics in both cultivars were increased, but much more in CC. Significantly less H2O2 accumulation was observed in the leaves and stems of CC than in those of GC under heat stress. Interestingly, much stronger circadian oscillation in fluorescence was observed in both cultivars after treatment at 45°C, which suggested that heat stress stimulates endogenous rhythms of photosystem II (PSII). Under moderate high-temperature stress, Chl fluorescence parameters Fv/Fm (maximum quantum yield of PSII), qP (coefficient of photochemical quenching), ΦPSII (effective PSII quantum yield), and ETR (electron transport rate) exhibited a gradual decrease, NPQ (nonphotochemical quenching) showed a slight increase followed by a gradual decline, whereas Fo (minimum fluorescence of a dark-adapted leaf) increased continuously. In contrast to GC, after 120 h of high-temperature treatment, CC exhibited significantly lower Fo level, and higher levels of Fv/Fm and NPQ. It is clear that PSII in CC was more stable than that in GC. The results indicate that betacyanins are an effective antioxidant, and probably contribute greatly to the higher thermal stability of PSII and higher tolerance to heat stress. and Z. Shu ... [et al.].
Net photosynthetic rate (PN) of leaves grown under free-air CO2 enriched condition (FACE, about 200 µmol mol-1 above ambient air) was significantly lower than PN of leaves grown at ambient CO2 concentration (AC) when measured at CO2 concentration of 580 µmol mol-1. This difference was found in rice plants grown at normal nitrogen supply (25 g m-2; NN-plants) but not in plants grown at low nitrogen supply (15 g m-2; LN-plants). Namely, photosynthetic acclimation to FACE was observed in NN-plants but not in LN-plants. Different from the above results measured in a period of continuous sunny days, such photosynthetic acclimation occurred in NN-plants, however, it was also observed in LN-plants when PN was measured before noon of the first sunny day after rain. Hence strong competition for the assimilatory power between nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) assimilations induced by an excessive N supply may lead to the photosynthetic acclimation to FACE in NN-plants. The hypothesis is supported by the following facts: FACE induced significant decrease in both apparent photosynthetic quantum yield (Φc) and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) content in NN-plants but not in LN-plants. and Z.-H. Yong ... [et al.].
Net photosynthetic rate (PN) measured at the same CO2 concentration, the maximum in vivo carboxylation rate, and contents of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCO) and RuBPCO activase were significantly decreased, but the maximum in vivo electron transport rate and RuBP content had no significant change in CO2-enriched [EC, about 200 µmol mol-1 above the ambient CO2 concentration (AC)] wheat leaves compared with those in AC grown wheat leaves. Hence photosynthetic acclimation in wheat leaves to EC is largely due to RuBP carboxylation limitation. and D.-Y. Zhang ... [et al.].