Photosynthetica, 2014 (vol. 52), issue 2

Original Papers

Global warming: causes and impacts on agroecosystems productivity and food security with emphasis on cassava comparative advantage in the tropics/subtropics

M. A. El-Sharkawy

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):161-178 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0028-7  

Earth's climate has experienced notable changes during the past 50-70 years when global surface temperature has risen by 0.8°C during the 20th century. This was a consequence of the rise in the concentration of biogenic gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and ozone) in the atmosphere that contribute, along with water vapor, to the so-called 'greenhouse effect'. Most of the emissions of greenhouse gases have been, and still are, the product of human activities, namely, the excessive use of fossil energy, deforestations in the humid tropics with associated poor land use-management, and wide-scale degradation of soils under...

Combined effects of cadmium and ozone on photosynthesis of Lycopersicon esculentum

E. Degl'Innocenti, A. Castagna, A. Ranieri, L. Guidi

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):179-185 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0018-9  

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Pearson) plants were grown in growth chambers for 25 days with cadmium (Cd) and then exposed briefly to ozone (O₃). Gas exchange, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and pigment composition were analysed in leaves at the end of the treatment to assess the effects of a single pollutant and their combination on photosynthesis. The CO₂ assimilation rate was dramatically reduced in plants subjected to the combined treatment, while the single effect of Cd appeared less severe than that of O₃. The decline of CO₂ photoassimilation found in all O₃-exposed...

Tolerance to waterlogging in young Euterpe oleracea plants

T. S. Pereira, A. K. S. Lobato, G. A. R. Alves, R. N. Ferreira, O. N. Silva, A. P. Martins Filho, E. S. Pereira, L. S. Sampaio

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):186-192 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0021-1  

This study investigated whether gas exchange and the present content of antioxidant compounds can contribute to the survival of Euterpe oleracea plants in environments of frequent waterlogging. A factorial randomised, experimental design included two distinct water conditions (waterlogging and control) and five evaluation times (0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 d). Gasexchange parameters, leaf temperature, electrolyte leakage, and contents of antioxidant compounds were measured. Waterlogging did not promote significant alterations in net photosynthetic rate and transpiration, and stomatal conductance was reduced only after 18 d. Malondialdehyde and glutathione...

Different drought-stress responses in photosynthesis and reactive oxygen metabolism between autotetraploid and diploid rice

P. M. Yang, Q. C. Huang, G. Y. Qin, S. P. Zhao, J. G. Zhou

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):193-202 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0020-2  

Photosynthetic light curve, chlorophyll (Chl) content, Chl fluorescence parameters, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) activity and reactive oxygen metabolism were studied under drought stress in two autotetraploid rice lines and corresponding diploid rice lines. Net photosynthetic rate decreased dramatically, especially under severe drought stress and under high photosynthetic active radiation in diploid rice, while it declined less under the same conditions in autotetraploid lines. Compared with the corresponding diploid lines, the Chl content, maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem (PS) II, and...

Accumulation of photosynthetic pigments in Larix decidua Mill. and Picea abies (L.) Karst. cotyledons treated with 5-aminolevulinic acid under different irradiation

N. Maximová, Ľ. Slováková

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):203-210 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0019-8  

European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) and Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] synthesize chlorophyll (Chl) in darkness. This paper compares Chl accumulation in 14-d-old dark-grown seedlings of L. decidua and P. abies after shortterm (24 h) feeding with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA). We used two ALA concentrations (1 and 10 mM) fed to cotyledons of both species in darkness and in continuous light. The dark-grown seedlings of L. decidua accumulated Chl only in trace amounts and the seedlings remained etiolated. In contrast, P. abies seedlings grown in darkness were green and had significantly higher Chl content....

Does elevated CO₂ protect photosynthesis from damage by high temperature via modifying leaf water status in maize seedlings?

M. N. Qu, J. A. Bunce, Z. S. Shi

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):211-216 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0022-0  

We hypothesized that decreased stomatal conductance (g _s) at elevated CO₂ might decrease transpiration (E), increase leaf water potential (Ψ_W), and thereby protect net photosynthesis rate (P _N) from heat damage in maize (Zea mays L) seedlings. To separate long-term effects of elevated CO₂, plants grew at either ambient CO₂ or elevated CO₂. During high-temperature treatment (HT) at 45°C for 15 min, leaves were exposed either to ambient CO₂ (380 μmol mol^-1) or to elevated CO₂ (560 μmol mol^-1)....

Leaf chloroplast ultrastructure and photosynthetic properties of a chlorophyll-deficient mutant of rice

Z. M. Wu, X. Zhang, J. L. Wang, J. M. Wan

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):217-222 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0025-x  

Leaf chloroplast ultrastructure and photosynthetic properties of a natural, yellow-green leaf mutant (ygl1) of rice were characterized. Our results showed that chloroplast development was significantly delayed in the mutant leaves compared with the wild-type rice (WT). As leaves matured, more grana stacks formed concurrently with increasing leaf chlorophyll (Chl) content. Except for the lower intercellular CO₂ concentration, the ygl1 plants had a higher leaf net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate than those of the WT plants. Under equal amounts of Chl, the excitation energy of PSI and PSII was...

Effects of light intensity and temperature on the photosynthetic irradiance response curves and chlorophyll fluorescence in three picocyanobacterial strains of Synechococcus

S. Jodłowska, S. Śliwińska

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):223-232 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0024-y  

Chrococcoid cyanobacteria of the genus Synechococcus are the important component of marine and freshwater ecosystems. Picocyanobacteria comprise even 80% of total cyanobacterial biomass and contribute to 50% of total primary cyanobacterial bloom production. Chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence and photosynthetic light response (P-I) curves are commonly used to characterize photoacclimation of Synechococcus strains. Three brackish, picocyanobacterial strains of Synechococcus (BA-132, BA-124, BA-120) were studied. They were grown under 4 irradiances [10, 55, 100, and 145 μmol(photon) m^-2 s^-1] and at 3 temperatures...

Parameter inversion estimation in photosynthetic models: Impact of different simulation methods

H. B. Wang, M. G. Ma, Y. M. Xie, X. F. Wang, J. Wang

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):233-246 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0027-8  

When we apply ecological models in environmental management, we must assess the accuracy of parameter estimation and its impact on model predictions. Parameters estimated by conventional techniques tend to be nonrobust and require excessive computational resources. However, optimization algorithms are highly robust and generally exhibit convergence of parameter estimation by inversion with nonlinear models. They can simultaneously generate a large number of parameter estimates using an entire data set. In this study, we tested four inversion algorithms (simulated annealing, shuffled complex evolution, particle swarm optimization, and the genetic algorithm)...

Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on photosynthesis, carbon content, and calorific value of black locust seedlings

X. Q. Zhu, C. Y. Wang, H. Chen, M. Tang

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):247-252 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0031-z  

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbioses with many plants. Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is an important energy tree species that can associate with AMF. We investigated the effects of AMF (Rhizophagus irregularis and Glomus versiforme) on the growth, gas exchange, chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence, carbon content, and calorific value of black locust seedlings in the greenhouse. The total biomass of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) seedlings was 4 times greater than that of the nonmycorrhizal (NM) seedlings. AMF greatly promoted the photosynthesis of black locust seedlings. AM seedlings had a significantly greater...

Effect of soil water availability on photosynthesis in Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosus in a sand habitat formed from seashells: Comparison of four models

J. B. Xia, G. C. Zhang, R. R. Wang, S. Y. Zhang

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):253-261 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0030-0  

The photosynthetic and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were studied in Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosus under different soil water gradients obtained by irrigation and natural water consumption. We used the rectangular hyperbola model, the nonrectangular hyperbola model, the exponential model, and the modified rectangular hyperbola model to fit our data and evaluate them quantitatively. Based on the relationship among the parameters, the effects of the availability of soil water on photosynthesis were elucidated. The results showed that: (1) The relationship between water content and photosynthetic parameters were fitted best...

Maize growth and developmental responses to temperature and ultraviolet-B radiation interaction

S. K. Singh, K. R. Reddy, V. R. Reddy, W. Gao

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):262-271 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0029-6  

Plant response to the combination of two or more abiotic stresses is different than its response to the same stresses singly. The response of maize (Zea mays L.) photosynthesis, growth, and development processes were examined under sunlit plant growth chambers at three levels of each day/night temperatures (24/16°C, 30/22°C, and 36/28°C) and UV-B radiation levels (0, 5, and 10 kJ m^-2 d^-1) and their interaction from 4 d after emergence to 43 d. An increase in plant height, leaf area, node number, and dry mass was observed as temperature increased. However, UV-B radiation negatively affected these processes by reducing the...

Light induction of nonphotochemical quenching, CO₂ fixation, and photoinhibition in woody and fern species adapted to different light regimes

S. L. Wong, M. Y. Huang, C. W. Chen, J. H. Weng

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):272-280 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0023-z  

We aimed to find out relations among nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ), gross photosynthetic rate (P _G), and photoinhibition during photosynthetic light induction in three woody species (one pioneer tree and two understory shrubs) and four ferns adapted to different light regimes. Pot-grown plants received 100% and/or 10% sunlight according to their light-adaptation capabilities. After at least four months of light acclimation, CO₂ exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence were measured simultaneously in the laboratory. We found that during light induction the formation and relaxation of the transient NPQ was closely related...

Specific photosynthetic and morphological characteristics allow macroalgae Gloiopeltis furcata (Rhodophyta) to survive in unfavorable conditions

L. Huan, S. Gao, X. J. Xie, W. R. Tao, G. H. Pan, B. Y. Zhang, J. F. Niu, A. P. Lin, L. W. He, G. C. Wang

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):281-287 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0026-9  

Gloiopeltis furcata (Postels & Ruprecht) J. Agardh, a macroalga, which grows in an upper, intertidal zone, can withstand drastic environmental changes caused by the periodic tides. In this study, the photosynthetic and morphological characteristics of G. furcata were investigated. The photosynthetic performance and electron flows of the thalli showed significant variations in response to desiccation and salinity compared with the control group. Both PSII and PSI activities declined gradually when the thalli were under stress. However, the electron transport rate of PSI showed still a low value during severe conditions, while the rate...

The potential of leaf chlorophyll content to screen bread-wheat genotypes in saline condition

A. Kiani-Pouya, F. Rasouli

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):288-300 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0033-x  

Physiological traits, which are positively associated with yield under salt-stress conditions, can be useful selection criteria in screening for salt tolerance. We examined whether chlorophyll (Chl) content can be used as screening criterion in wheat. Our study involved 5 wheat genotypes under both saline and nonsaline field conditions as well as in a sand-culture experiment. Salt stress reduced significantly biomass, grain yield, total Chl and both Chl a and b in all genotypes. In the sand-culture experiment, Chl accumulation was higher in PF70354/BOW, Ghods, and H499.71A/JUP genotypes at nonsaline control, moderate, and high salt concentrations,...

Vegetative growth, compatible solute accumulation, ion partitioning and chlorophyll fluorescence of 'Malas-e-Saveh' and 'Shishe-Kab' pomegranates in response to salinity stress

M. Khayyat, A. Tehranifar, G. H. Davarynejad, M. H. Sayyari-Zahan

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):301-312 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0034-9  

The present research was conducted to assess physiological responses of 'Malas-e-Saveh' (Malas) and 'Shishe-Kab' (Shishe) pomegranates to water of different salt content and electrical conductivity (1.05, 4.61, and 7.46 dS m^-1). Both cultivars showed a reduced trunk length due to salinity. Relative water content and stomatal conductivity of both cultivars were significantly reduced under salt stress, but ion leakage increased. In both cultivars, total chlorophyll (Chl) and carbohydrates decreased with rise in salinity, while proline accumulation increased. With salinity increment, the Chl fluorescence parameters (maximum photochemical efficiency...

Effects of NaCl stress on the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Ulmus pumila L. seedlings in sand culture

Z. T. Feng, Y. Q. Deng, H. Fan, Q. J. Sun, N. Sui, B. S. Wang

Photosynthetica 2014, 52(2):313-320 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-014-0032-y  

The effects of NaCl stress on the growth and photosynthetic characters of Ulmus pumila L. seedlings were investigated under sand culture condition. With increasing NaCl concentration, main stem height, branch number, leaf number, and leaf area declined, while Na⁺ content and the Na⁺/K⁺ ratio in both expanded and expanding leaves increased. Na⁺ content was significantly higher in expanded leaves than in those just expanding. Chlorophyll (Chl) a and Chl b contents declined as NaCl concentration increased. The net photosynthetic rate, intercellular CO₂ concentration, stomatal...