Photosynthetica, 2020 (vol. 58), issue 4

Role of anthocyanin and carotenoids in the adaptation of the photosynthetic apparatus of purple- and green-leaved cultivars of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) to high-intensity light

L.A. STETSENKO, P.P. PASHKOVSKY, R.A. VOLOSHIN, V.D. KRESLAVSKI, VL.V. KUZNETSOV, S.I. ALLAKHVERDIEV

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):890-901 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.048

Comparative studies of the adaptation of green- and purple-leaved Ocimum basilicum varieties, which differ in carotenoid and anthocyanin contents, to high-intensity light have been carried out. The plants were grown for 21 d under white light-emitting diode providing different light intensities [300, 550, and 1,350 µmol(photon) m^-2 s^-1]. During the experiment, fresh mass and relative water content, photosynthetic pigment and anthocyanin content, amount of total free phenolic compounds, and the contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and H₂O₂ were analysed. The fluorescent parameters,...

Comparative analysis of leaf photosynthetic characteristics and fruit sugar content in trees of Citrus cultivar 'Huangguogan' of different age

B. Xiong, X. Qiu, S.j. Huang, Y.T. YANG, G.c. Sun, X.j. Wang, X. Zhang, T.t. Dong, X.y. Shen, W. Wei, Z.h. Wang

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):902-910 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.042

Citrus trees of cv. Huangguogan, 8-, 30-, and 280-year-old (8s, 30s, and 280s, respectively), were used to explore the photosynthesis and related enzyme activity. In spring shoot leaves, net photosynthetic rate (P_N) of the 280s was significantly lower than that of the 30s and 8s, but it was opposite in summer shoot leaves. P_N of the summer shoots was higher than that of the spring shoots. P_N was significantly positively correlated with stomatal conductance, intercellular CO₂ concentration, and transpiration rate, but was negatively correlated with maximum photochemical quantum yield of...

Recovery of photosynthetic activity of resurrection plant Haberlea rhodopensis from drought- and freezing-induced desiccation

K. GEORGIEVA, G. MIHAILOVA, M. VELITCHKOVA, A. POPOVA

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):911-921 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.044

The recovery of photosynthetic activity during rehydration of Haberlea rhodopensis from drought- and freezing-induced desiccation were investigated. The water uptake during the initial 15 h was slow thus preventing cellular damages. The results showed faster recovery of quantum efficiency of PSII in plants rehydrated after freezing stress (RAF) compared to plants rehydrated after drought stress (RAD) and the most significant differences between them were evident after 9-15 h of rehydration. Following rehydration, PSI activity recovered faster compared to PSII and in contrast to PSII, its activity was higher in RAD compared to RAF plants. During...

Red light optimized physiological traits and enhanced the growth of ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.)

M. REHMAN, S. FAHAD, M.H. SALEEM, M. HAFEEZ, M.H. UR RAHMAN, F. LIU, G. DENG

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):922-931 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.040

Light is an important variable affecting the plant growth. In present study, the effects of different color light-emitting diodes (mixed colors, red, blue, and orange light) on plant growth, gas exchange, and oxidative stress were investigated in Boehmeria nivea L., by means of measuring growth, photosynthesis, chlorophyll (Chl) content, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and activity of antioxidant enzymes under controlled conditions. Comparing to the mixed colors light, red light significantly increased shoot and leaf biomass, plant height, number of leaves per plant, and stem diameter by increasing the Chl content and therefore promoting the...

Effects of different light quality and biofertilizers on structural and physiological traits of spinach plants

L. VITALE, E. VITALE, G. GUERCIA, M. TURANO, C. ARENA

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):932-943 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.039

In this work, the effects of light quality and beneficial microbes (biofertilizer) supply on structural and ecophysiological traits of spinach were investigated. Plants were grown under four light quality regimens: white light (WL), red-blue (RB), red-green (RG), and red (R) light, with or without the addition of biofertilizer. RG and R plants without biofertilizer showed morphological traits typical of shaded plants as wide leaf lamina and high photosynthetic pigment content. These plants also exhibited a higher photosynthetic capacity compared to WL and RB plants. The improved photosynthesis in RG plants was due to both morphological and physiological...

Growth, photosynthesis, and reactive oxygen system responses of allotriploid Populus cathayana to salt stress

T. QIU, Y. WANG, X.N. GENG, Y. ZHANG, Y. LI, X.Y. KANG

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):944-950 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.043

Polyploid plants are generally considered to have a high stress resistance. In this study, two full sibling allotriploid populations (FDR and SDR) with different 2n female gamete sources and one diploid population (2N) obtained from the same Populus cathayana parents were investigated. We compared the growth morphology, photosynthetic parameters, peroxidase activity and proline contents after salt stress. The results showed that the salt tolerance of the triploid poplar population was higher than that of the diploid population. And there were some differences between the genotypes of the triploid and diploid populations under salt stress. The...

Foliar nitrogen supply enhances the recovery of photosynthetic performance of cold-stressed coffee (Coffea arabica L.) seedlings

R. ACIDRI, Y. SAWAI, Y. SUGIMOTO, D. SASAGAWA, T. MASUNAGA, S. YAMAMOTO, E. NISHIHARA

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):951-960 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.047

Cold-stressed leaves possess an elevated risk of photodamage due to an inefficient photosynthetic apparatus during winter conditions. Recovery of cold-stressed coffee seedlings treated with different concentrations of nitrogen applied as foliar urea sprays [control (0), 5, 10, 20, and 40 mM], was investigated under optimum growth chamber conditions (25/20°C) for three months. Concentrations of nitrogen and photosynthetic pigments in the leaves increased with increasing concentration of the foliar sprays up to 20 mM. This was accompanied with a recovery of the photosynthetic apparatus and increased net carbon assimilation rate. In addition, 10 and 20...

Effect of exogenously applied 20-hydroxyecdysone on the efficiency of primary photosynthetic processes substantially differs across plant species

D. HOLÁ, K. FRIMLOVÁ, M. KOČOVÁ, H. MARKOVÁ, O. ROTHOVÁ, L. TŮMOVÁ

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):961-973 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.050

The effects of 20-hydroxyecdysone on the primary photosynthetic processes (PPP) were examined across twelve plant species using the OJIP chlorophyll fluorescence analysis. Our experiments brought evidence that the ecdysteroids can function not only as protective compounds in plants but participate also in the regulation of photosynthesis. Exogenously applied 20-hydroxyecdysone positively affected the PPP particularly in French bean and canola. Contrary to this, the PPP were negatively influenced by 20-hydroxyecdysone in pea, sunflower, and wheat. The performace of the oxygen-evolving complex, the excitonic connectivity among PSII units, the electron...

LETTER TO EDITOR
Light regulation of photosynthetic light harvesting doubles the biomass yield in the green alga Chlamydomonas

R.T. SAYRE, S. NEGI, G. GOVINDJEE

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):974-975 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.049

Due to the overall low thermodynamic efficiency (1–4%) of photosynthesis (Ort et al. 2011, Subramanian et al. 2013) and its impact on crop productivity, substantial efforts are being made to engineer photosynthesis to improve its light use and carbon capture efficiency to increase crop yields.

HISTORY
My contact and cooperation with Govindjee over the last five decades: Chlorophyll fluorescence and Rebeiz Foundation

H.K. LICHTENTHALER

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):976-983 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.055

Govindjee and Hartmut Lichtenthaler have a very similar curriculum vitae. Both chose photosynthesis as research field and actively applied chlorophyll fluorescence. Their research was overlapping and complementary. On the occasion of Govindjee's 88^th anniversary in 2020, Hartmut Lichtenthaler gives a short retrospective on interactions and joint activities with Govindjee over the past five decades.

Exogenous acetylcholine alleviates cadmium-induced phytotoxicity by modulating photosynthetic metabolism and antioxidant potential in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana)

Y.Y. SU, Y.Q. CHENG, C. QIN, N. AHMED, Y.H. MU, N.S. MUSTAFAD, M. ASHRAF, L.X. ZHANG

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):984-994 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.051

Acetylcholine (ACh) plays a potential role in mediating various physiological processes in plants. However, the involvement of acetylcholine in cadmium (Cd) stress tolerance is unknown. Cd stress caused a decline in biomass, pigment, and photosynthetic capacity in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. A significant oxidative stress was evident through enhancing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation. However, pretreatment with acetylcholine (50 and 100 µM) effectively decreased oxidative damage, especially by 50 µM ACh, which reduced H₂O₂ and O₂^*- contents by 50.4...

Implications of intra-seasonal climate variations on chlorophyll a fluorescence and biomass in winter barley breeding program

L. BEGOVIĆ, V. GALIĆ, I. ABIČIĆ, Z. LONČARIĆ, A. LALIĆ, S. MLINARIĆ

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):995-1008 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.053

This study aimed to explore how ten selected winter barley genotypes responded to variations in environmental conditions during the growth season by using fast chlorophyll a fluorescence and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) at the booting, anthesis and early grain-filling stage. Lower amount of rainfall during the anthesis induced instability in the function of PSII, observed as the positive K-band in six and the positive L-band in seven genotypes. At grain filling, all genotypes displayed negative K- and L-bands, suggesting an increase of stability within PSII. The performance index increased from booting to grain filling in most...

Sugarcane leaf photosynthetic light responses and their difference between varieties under high temperature stress

Y.Y. LIU, J. LI, S.C. LIU, Q. YU, X.J. TONG, T.T. ZHU, X.X. GAO, L.X. YU

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):1009-1018 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.038

Leaf photosynthetic light response (PLR) of six sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) varieties with a high sugar content was measured in the field. PLR curves were fitted by the rectangular hyperbola (RH) model, the nonrectangular hyperbola (NRH) model, and the Ye model, respectively. Photoinhibition occurred under warm and humid environment for all tested sugarcane varieties except for GT02-467 with the photosynthetic rate reduced significantly. The Ye model was the best for PLR curve fitting, especially when photoinhibition occurred. Nearly all PLR parameters estimated by the Ye model were better than the other two models. Some PLR parameters...

Effects of hybridization on the determinants of photosynthetic capacity in Buddleja F1 hybrids

W.C. GONG, Y.Q. CHEN, J. WANG, H. YUAN

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):1019-1027 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.054

Photosynthetic capacity plays an important role in plant vegetative growth, and is often regarded as a key determinant of adaptability in plant species, including the hybrids. Interspecific hybridizations are common and can easily occur in Buddleja. The F1 hybrid investigated in this study is a newly discovered interspecific hybrid between B. crispa and B. officinalis, and it was found in the Sino-Himalayan region. In this study, the morphological traits, the stoichiometric characteristics and the gas-exchange traits in F1 hybrids and their parents were measured under the cultivation conditions. Buddleja F1 hybrids showed...

Photosynthesis and nutrient-use efficiency in response to N and P addition in three dominant grassland species on the semiarid Loess Plateau

Z.F. CHEN, P.F. XIONG, J.J. ZHOU, S.B. LAI, C.X. JIAN, Z. WANG, B.C. XU

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):1028-1039 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.056

Understanding the ecophysiological and nutrient-use strategies of dominant species is important for clarifying plant growth and an ecological process in their community under unbalanced N and P inputs. This study investigated effects of N and P addition [main plot: 0, 25, 50, and 100 kg(N) ha^-1 year^-1; subplot: 0, 20, 40, and 80 kg(P) ha^-1 year^-1] on leaf N and P contents (LNC_a and LPC_a), photosynthetic capacity (P_Nmax) and photosynthetic N- and P-use efficiencies (PNUE and PPUE) in three species (Stipa bungeana, Bothriochloa ischaemum, and Lespedeza...

Drought tolerance of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) can be improved by specific LED light wavelengths

L. HUANG, Y. XIAO, J. RAN, L. WEI, Z. LI, Y. LI, X. ZHANG, L. LIAO, D. WANG, X. ZHAO, Q. XIAO, Y. GUO

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):1040-1052 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.052

A light wavelength affects both plant photomorphogenesis and stress resistance. In this study, the phenotypic plasticity (growth parameters and cuticular waxes) and physiological adaptation (photosynthetic properties and antioxidant enzyme activities) of faba bean subjected to specific LED lights, red, yellow, blue, violet, and white, were analyzed under two water conditions (normal and drought). The plants grown under red and yellow lights possessed the smaller leaf size and the higher leaf relative water content. The blue light had a positive effect on improving stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rate of faba bean leaves, and the plants...

Spectroscopic study of the light-induced changes of the core antenna complex CP43 in photosystem II

Y.G. QU, F. ZHOU, T.Y. KUANG

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):1053-1058 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.062

In this study, spectroscopic approaches were used to evaluate light-induced changes in chlorophyll protein 43 (CP43). Upon illumination, we observed chlorophyll (Chl) a bleaching with the complete opening of the tetrapyrrole ring. Electronic transition frequencies to different energy levels of the second singlet electronic state (S₂) were changed. In addition, we observed altered rotational and vibrational transitions of Chl a and the CP43 apoprotein as well as variations in the microenvironment surrounding Chl a. CP43 contains three β-carotene (β-Car) and five Chl a molecules, which are involved in...

Evaluation of morpho-physiological traits under drought stress conditions in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

T. ISTANBULI, M. BAUM, H. TOUCHAN, A. HAMWIEH

Photosynthetica 2020, 58(4):1059-1067 | DOI: 10.32615/ps.2020.041

Drought stress is one of the major constraints limiting the production and productivity of barley. We tried to identify some indicators related to plant productivity by analyzing some agro-morphological and physiological traits in recombinant inbred lines (RILs). Plants were exposed to three water treatments: well-watered at 70% available water content (AWC), mild drought stress at 35% AWC, and severe drought stress at 10% AWC. Our results revealed that drought significantly affected most of the studied morpho-physiological traits resulting in strong decreases in yield and the studied traits. We did not observe a significant difference in water-use...