scholarly journals Photosynthetic Capacity, Stomatal Behavior and Chloroplast Ultrastructure in Leaves of the Endangered Plant Carpinus putoensis W.C.Cheng during Gaseous NO2 Exposure and after Recovery

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 561
Author(s):  
Qianqian Sheng ◽  
Zunling Zhu

Foliar uptake of gaseous NO2 mainly occurs through the stomata and disrupts normal plant growth, but no detailed reports about the physiological responses of plants exposed to NO2 are available. In this study, to study leaf physicochemical responses, stomatal characteristics and chloroplast structure, we observed the leaves of Carpinus putoensis W.C.Cheng after exposure to NO2 (6 μL/L) for five time periods (0, 1, 6, 24, and 72 h) and after 30 days of recovery following NO2 exposure. Our results showed that short-duration exposure to a high concentration of NO2 had significant negative impacts (p < 0.05) on the chlorophyll content, photosynthesis and chloroplast-related physicochemical processes of C. putoensis leaves; with the exception of one hour of NO2 exposure, which was helpful for plant physiological responses. Moreover, NO2 exposure significantly increased the thickness of the palisade/spongy tissue and caused swelling of the thylakoids within the chloroplasts; this thylakoid swelling could be reversed by removing the pollutant from the air flow. Restoration of unpolluted air alleviated the toxic effects of NO2, as indicated by an increased chlorophyll content, net photosynthesis, and PSII maximum quantum yield. These results could support the development of a treatment for roadside trees that are exposed to NO2 as a major road pollutant.

2019 ◽  
Vol 144 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30
Author(s):  
Qianqian Sheng ◽  
Zunling Zhu

Plant leaves absorb atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) primarily via the stomata. Studies of changes in plant growth and physiology after exposure to NO2 are limited. Therefore, this study investigated the physiological response of Carpinus betulus (european hornbeam) chloroplasts after NO2 exposure using fumigation equipment that was able to control timing and record NO2 concentrations. The NO2 concentration was 6 µL·L−1. Seven treatment durations (0, 1, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours) were designed. After fumigation, plants recovered for 30 days under greenhouse conditions. The physiological response, stomatal behavior, thicknesses of palisade and spongy tissues, and chloroplast ultrastructure were measured. In the 48-hour and 72-hour NO2 treatment groups, the chloroplast contents and net photosynthesis rates of the leaves decreased, palisade and spongy tissues thickened, and chloroplast thylakoids swelled; however, the 1-hour NO2 treatment did not have a noticeable toxic effect on C. betulus leaves. After 30 days of recovery, the plants returned to their natural growth level by increasing the chloroplast content and enhancing net photosynthesis. Short durations and high concentrations of NO2 exposure had significantly negative impacts on the physiological response of C. betulus; however, this toxic effect of high NO2 concentrations on C. betulus can be recovered by restoration of unpolluted air. The results of this study may provide a scientific reference and an additional choice of plants species for the application of C. betulus in functional gardening design and ecological green space construction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Yousif Adam Ali ◽  
Muhi Eldeen Hussien Ibrahim ◽  
Guisheng Zhou ◽  
Nimir Eltyb Ahmed Nimir ◽  
Aboagla Mohammed Ibrahim Elsiddig ◽  
...  

AbstractSalinity one of environmental factor that limits the growth and productivity of crops. This research was done to investigate whether GA3 (0, 144.3, 288.7 and 577.5 μM) and nitrogen fertilizer (0, 90 and 135 kg N ha−1) could mitigate the negative impacts of NaCl (0, 100, and 200 mM NaCl) on emergence percentage, seedling growth and some biochemical parameters. The results showed that high salinity level decreased emergence percentage, seedling growth, relative water content, chlorophyll content (SPAD reading), catalase (CAT) and peroxide (POD), but increased soluble protein content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The SOD activity was decreased by nitrogen. However, the other measurements were increased by nitrogen. The interactive impact between nitrogen and salinity was significant in most parameters except EP, CAT and POD. The seedling length, dry weight, fresh weight, emergence percentage, POD, soluble protein and chlorophyll content were significantly affected by the interaction between GA3 and salinity. The GA3 and nitrogen application was successful mitigating the adverse effects of salinity. The level of 144.3 and 288.7 μm GA3 and the rate of 90 and 135 kg N ha−1 were most effective on many of the attributes studied. Our study suggested that GA3 and nitrogen could efficiently protect early seedlings growth from salinity damage.


2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 1334-1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elcio Ferreira dos Santos ◽  
Bruno José Zanchim ◽  
Aline Grella de Campos ◽  
Raphael Florencio Garrone ◽  
José Lavres Junior

Few studies in Brazil have addressed the need for micronutrients of physic nut focusing on physiological responses, especially in terms of photosynthesis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of omission of boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) on Jatropha curcas L.. The experimental design was a randomized block with four replications. The treatments were complete solution (control) and solution without B, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn. We evaluated the chlorophyll content (SPAD units), photosynthetic rate, dry matter production and accumulation of micronutrients in plants, resulting from different treatments. The first signs of deficiency were observed for Fe and B, followed by Mn and Zn, while no symptoms were observed for Cu deficiency. The micronutrient omission reduced the dry matter yield, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate of the plants differently for each omitted nutrient. It was, however, the omission of Fe that most affected the development of this species in all parameters evaluated. The treatments negatively affected the chlorophyll content, evaluated in SPAD units, and the photosynthetic rate, except for the omission of B. However this result was probably due to the concentration effect, since there was a significant reduction in the dry matter production of B-deficient plants.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Yang ◽  
Muhammad Azher Nawaz ◽  
Fuxin Li ◽  
Lisha Bai ◽  
Jie Li

Autotoxicity is a common problem being faced in protected vegetable cultivation system. Phytoremediation of plant autotoxicity is an emerging concept to minimize deterioration of soil environment and reduction of yield and quality of vegetable crops. Brassinosteroids (BRs) have been reported as a potential phytohormone to assist phytoremediation. However, the effects of BRs-induced autotoxicity stress on plant growth, photosynthesis and antioxidant defense system are poorly understood. Hence, we focused on the changes in physiological characteristics and ultrastructure of cucumber leaves in response to the application of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) under autotoxicity stress conditions. The results showed that leaf area, plant height, fresh weight and dry weight of cucumber were obviously decreased under autotoxicity stress conditions. EBR application obviously improved the phenotypic characteristics of cucumber seedlings. Chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and transpiration rate of cucumber leaves were markedly reduced under autotoxicity stress conditions. Application of EBR improved the photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a by 15.80%, chlorophyll b by 18.70% and total chlorophyll content by 17.30%), net photosynthetic rate by 36.40% and stomatal opening of leaves under autotoxicity stress conditions. EBR application also maintained the integrity of chloroplast and thylakoid structures under autotoxicity stress conditions. The activity of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and antioxidative compounds ascorbate (AsA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) contents were markedly decreased, however, these were obviously increased after EBR application under autotoxicity stress. EBR application also increased the soluble sugar and protein, and proline concentration by 59.70%, 7.22% and 36.58%, respectively in the leaves of cucumber, decreased malondialdehyde by 24.13% and reactive oxygen species contents (H2O2 by 35.17%, O2− by 12.01% and •OH by 16.59%), and reduced the relative permeability of the cell membrane by 14.31%. These findings suggest that EBR application enhanced the photosynthetic capacity of leaves, maintained the integrity of chloroplast and thylakoid structures, and effectively alleviated the damage of membrane caused by lipid peroxidation and root damage under autotoxicity stress conditions. The growth inhibition effect of autotoxicity stress on cucumber was reduced by EBR application.


1977 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 289 ◽  
Author(s):  
RO Slatyer ◽  
PJ Ferrar

The photosynthetic responses of three altitudinal populations of snow gum, E. pauciflora Sieb. ex Spreng., were examined on material grown at a range of day/night temperatures from 8/4 to 33/28°C. The pattern of the photosynthetic responses to growth temperature was generally similar for all populations but the material from the lowest-elevation, warmest, site showed the highest temperature optimum and significantly higher rates of net photosynthesis at the highest growth temperature. In a corresponding way, the material from the highest-elevation, coldest, site showed the lowest temperature optimum, and significantly higher rates of net photosynthesis at the lowest growth temperature. This pattern, also reflected in the responses of rI, the intracellular resistance, and rI, the gas-phase resistance, supported the view that E. pauciflora shows continuous variation in physiological responses through its altitudinal range. The peak values of net photosynthesis were high for all populations, but were greatest, 81 ng cm-2 s-1, in the lowest elevation material and decreased to 72 ng cm-2 s-1 in the highest-elevation material. Corresponding values of rI ranged from 2.5 - 3.0 s cm-1, and for rI from 2.4 - 3.3 s cm-1. These levels compare favourably with levels reported for other woody species.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 793
Author(s):  
Juanli Chen ◽  
Xueyong Zhao ◽  
Yaqiu Zhang ◽  
Yuqiang Li ◽  
Yongqing Luo ◽  
...  

Artemisia halodendron is a widely distributed native plant in China’s Horqin sandy land, but few studies have examined its physiological responses to drought and rehydration. To provide more information, we investigated the effects of drought and rehydration on the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and physiological responses of A. halodendron to reveal the mechanisms responsible for A. halodendron’s tolerance of drought stress and the resulting ability to tolerate drought. We found that A. halodendron had strong drought resistance. Its chlorophyll content first increased and then decreased with prolonged drought. Variable chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv) and quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) decreased, and the membrane permeability and malondialdehyde increased. When plants were subjected to drought stress, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity degraded under severe drought, but the activities of peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) and the contents of soluble proteins, soluble sugars, and free proline increased. Severe drought caused wilting of A. halodendron leaves and the leaves failed to recover even after rehydration. After rehydration, the chlorophyll content, membrane permeability, SOD and CAT activities, and the contents of the three osmoregulatory substances under moderate drought began to recover. However, Fv, Fv/Fm, malondialdehyde, and POD activity did not recover under severe drought. These results illustrated that drought tolerance of A. halodendron resulted from increased enzyme (POD and CAT) activities and accumulation of osmoregulatory substances.


2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (20) ◽  
pp. 6460-6470
Author(s):  
Alicia V Perera-Castro ◽  
Miquel Nadal ◽  
Jaume Flexas

Abstract In vascular plants, more rigid leaves have been linked to lower photosynthetic capacity, associated with low CO2 diffusion across the mesophyll, indirectly resulting in a trade-off between photosynthetic capacity (An) and bulk modulus of elasticity (ε). However, we evaluated mosses, liverworts, and Chara sp., plus some lycophytes and ferns, and found that they behaved as clear outliers of the An–ε relationship. Despite this finding, when vascular and non-vascular plants were plotted together, ε still linearly determined the cessation of net photosynthesis during desiccation both in species with stomata (either actively or hydro-passively regulated) and in species lacking stomata, and regardless of their leaf structure. The latter result challenges our current view of photosynthetic responses to desiccation and/or water stress. Structural features and hydric strategy are discussed as possible explanations for the deviation of these species from the An–ε trade-off, as well as for the general linear dependency between ε and the full cessation of An during desiccation.


2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 139-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Liu ◽  
X. Wang ◽  
Z. Chen ◽  
H. Xu ◽  
Y. Wang

Mercury (Hg) is one of the major pollutants in soils because of the annual import of toxic Hg into the agricultural lands. The aims of the present studies are to investigate the effect of Hg on chlorophyll content in winter wheat var. jinan No. 17. Moreover, calcium (Ca) levels and bioaccumulation of Hg in wheat leaves were studied with the technique of inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometer (ICP-SF-MS). The study conducted a range of Hg concentrations from 0~500 mg Hg/kg in the dry weight soil. The soil was artificially contaminated with Hg as follows: 0, 100, 200, and 500 mg Hg/kg as HgCl<SUB>2</SUB>. At early stages of the wheat growth, both low and high concentration of Hg stimulates chlorophyll content, but inhibits chlorophyll content at later stages of the wheat growth. Furthermore, the concentrations of Ca and Hg in wheat leaves increased with the increasing concentration of Hg<SUP> </SUP>on the thirty-fourth day with the technique of ICP-SF-MS. The results indicate that Hg can accelerate the absorption of Ca in winter wheat and Hg stress may affect Ca levels in wheat leaves.


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