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Effect of long-term drought stress on leaf gas exchange and fluorescence parameters in C3 and C4 plants

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Abstract

A field study was performed on triticale, field bean, maize and amaranth, to find differences between studied species in physiological alterations resulting from progressive response as injuries and/or acclimation to long-term soil drought during various stages of plant development. The measurements of leaf water potential, electrolyte leakage, chlorophyll a fluorescence, leaf gas exchange and yield analysis were done. A special emphasis was given to the measurements of the blue, green, red and far-red fluorescence. Beside, different ratios of the four fluorescence bands (red/far-red: F 690/F 740, blue/red: F 440/F 690, blue/far-red: F 440/F 740 and blue/green: F 440/F 520) were calculated. Based on both yield analysis and measurements of physiological processes it can be suggested that field bean and maize responded with better tolerance to the water deficit in soil due to the activation of photoprotective mechanism probably connected with synthesis of the phenolic compounds, which can play a role of photoprotectors in different stages of plant development. The photosynthetic apparatus of those two species scattered the excess of excitation energy more effectively, partially through its transfer to PS I. In this way, plants avoided irreversible and/or deep injuries to PS II. The observed changes in the red fluorescence emission and in the F v/F m for triticale and amaranth could have occurred due to serious and irreversible photoinhibitory injuries. Probably, field bean and maize acclimatized more effectively to soil drought through the development of effective mechanisms for utilising excitation energy in the photosynthetic conversion of light accompanied by the mechanism protecting the photosynthetic apparatus against the excess of this energy.

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Abbreviations

C i :

Internal CO2 concentration

D :

Drought stressed plants

E :

Transpiration rate

F v/F m :

Maximal quantum yield of PS II

F v/F 0 :

Ratio of the variable fluorescence to the ground fluorescence

FWC:

Field water capacity

F 440 :

Fluorescence intensity at 440 nm

F 520 :

Fluorescence intensity at 520 nm

F 690 :

Fluorescence intensity at 690 nm

F 740 :

Fluorescence intensity at 740 nm

F 690/F 740 :

Ratio of the chlorophyll fluorescence intensity at 690 nm and 740 nm (red/far-red)

F 440/F 690 :

Ratio of the fluorescence intensity at 440 nm and 690 nm (blue/red)

F 440/F 740 :

Ratio of the fluorescence intensity at 440 nm and 740 nm (blue/far-red)

F 440/F 520 :

Ratio of the fluorescence intensity at 440 nm and 520 nm (blue/green)

G 1 and G 2 :

Generative stage of plant development

g s :

Stomatal conductance

IR:

Irrigated plants

K :

Hydrothermal index

LHC:

Light harvesting complex

P N :

Net photosynthesis

PS II:

Photosystem II

PS I:

Photosystem I

V:

Vegetative stage of plant development

Ψw :

Leaf water potential

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 21, 30-239, Kraków, Poland

    Tomasz Hura & Maciej Grzesiak

  2. Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agriculture and Economics, Agricultural University, Podłużna 3, 30-239, Kraków, Poland

    Katarzyna Hura

  3. Institute of Biology, Pedagogical Academy, ul. Podbrzezie 2, 30-054, Kraków, Poland

    Andrzej Rzepka

Authors
  1. Tomasz Hura
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  2. Katarzyna Hura
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  3. Maciej Grzesiak
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  4. Andrzej Rzepka
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Correspondence to Tomasz Hura.

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Communicated by Z. Starck.

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Hura, T., Hura, K., Grzesiak, M. et al. Effect of long-term drought stress on leaf gas exchange and fluorescence parameters in C3 and C4 plants. Acta Physiol Plant 29, 103–113 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-006-0013-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-006-0013-2

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