Short-term cold stress in two cultivars of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Digitaria eriantha</Emphasis>: effects on stress-related hormones and antioxidant defense system

The two cultivars of Digitaria eriantha: cv. Sudafricana (a cold-sensitive cultivar) and cv. Mejorada INTA (a cold-resistant cultivar) were exposed to low temperature and compared in terms of the involvement of abscisic acid (ABA) and catabolites, jasmonates, and antioxidant defense in cold tolerance. Cold stress caused a greater ABA increase in cv. Mejorada INTA than in cv. Sudafricana. In both cultivars abscisic acid glucose ester and dihydrophaseic acid were the most abundant catabolites. Cold treatment decreased JA in leaves of both cultivars. In cv. Sudafricana, 12-hydroxyjasmonate (12-OH-JA) decreased and 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid increased. In regard to antioxidant defense, both cultivars increased the non-protein thiols in response to cold stress. However, reduced glutathione (GSH) level was higher in leaves of cv. Mejorada INTA than cv. Sudafricana. Cold-treated leaves of cv. Sudafricana increased thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), but cv. Mejorada INTA leaves showed no such increase. Superoxide dismutase activity decreased and ascorbate peroxidase activity increased in cold-treated leaves of cv. Sudafricana. No significant change of these enzymes was observed for cv. Mejorada INTA. The cold tolerance of cv. Mejorada INTA could be related to JA, 12-OH-JA and GSH high basal contents, ABA increase, and TBARS stability after cold treatment.     

Photochemical Characteristics of Mesophyll and Bundle Sheath Chloroplasts from C4 Plants

Mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts were isolated by differential grinding from the leaves of two NADP-ME C₄ plants, Setaria italica Beauv. cv. H-1, Pennisetum typhoides S & H. cv. AKP-2, and a NAD-ME C₄ species Amaranthus paniculatus L. The mesophyll chloroplasts of C₄ plants possessed slightly lower K_m for ADP and Pi than those of bundle sheath chloroplasts. The Hill reaction activities and noncyclic photophosphorylation rates of the bundle sheath chloropiasts from S. italica and P. typhoides were less than one-fifth of those by the mesophyll chloroplasts. But the bundle sheath chloroplasts of A. paniculatus exhibited high rates of Hill reaction, cyclic as well as noncyclic photophosphorylation. The pigment- and eyiochrome composition suggested a relative enrichment of PS 1 in bundle sheath chloroplasts of S. italica and P. typhoides. The chain exists in both mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts. As much as 35–52% of leaf chlorophyll was located in the bundle sheath chloroplasts. The photochemical activities of bundle sheath chloroplasts are significant though a major part of leaf photochemical potential is associated with the mesophyll chloroplasts.     

Benzyladenine effects on the development of the photosynthetic apparatus in Zea mays: Studies on photosynthetic activity, enzymes and (etio)chloroplast ultrastructure

Primary leaf segments from 8-day-old dark-grown, and from 4- and 8-day-old light-grown seedlings of Zea mays L. cv. Fronica, were treated with 10^-bM benzyladenine (BA) in the dark for 14 h. The segments were then studied after an exposure to light for 14 h. Photosynthetic activity (O₂ evolution and CO₂ fixation) and chlorophyll accumulation were stimulated by BA in dark-grown leaf segments with etioplastids in the earliest stage of development. In these segments BA stimulated the activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31), NADP⁺-malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40) and pyruvate, orthophosphate dikinase (EC 2.7.9.1). In segments taken from 4- and 8-day light-grown seedlings, BA did not enhance the photosynthetic activity nor the chlorophyll accumulation. The activity of the enzymes mentioned above, was significantly enhanced by the BA-treatment. BA mainly affected grana stacking in mesophyll cell chloroplasts in primary leaf segments taken from 3- to 5-day light-grown seedlings. Stroma thylakoid development was stimulated only in leaf segments from 3-day-old plants. At the same time BA accelerated grana loss in chloroplasts of bundle sheath cells, a typical phenomenon of development in such chloroplasts. Stroma thylakoid length in these chloroplasts increased by a BA treatment in segments from 3- and 4-day light-grown plants. A significantly higher number of chloroplasts was only observed with segments taken from 8-day light-grown seedlings and treated with BA. The etiochloroplast number in segments taken from 8-day etiolated plants was significantly higher in BA-treated segments after 26 h illumination. In etiochloroplasts from both mesophyll and bundle sheath cells, BA enhanced grana stacking after illumination for 4 h or more, whereas stroma membrane length was significantly higher only after 26 h light. It is concluded that the effects of BA depend on the developmental stage. BA accelerates the development of mesophyll and bundle sheath cell (etio)chloroplasts, but does not affect the ultrastructure of mature chloroplasts.     

Photochemical properties of mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts of maize

Several photochemical and spectral properties of maize (Zea mays) bundle sheath and mesophyll chloroplasts are reported that provide a better understanding of the photosynthetic apparatus of C₄ plants. The difference absorption spectrum at 298 K and the fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of chlorophyll at 298 K and 77 K provide new information on the different forms of chlorophyll a in bundle sheath and mesophyll chloroplasts: the former contain, relative to short wavelength chlorophyll a forms, more long wavelength chlorophyll a form (e.g. chlorophyll a 693 and chlorophyll a 705) and less chlorophyll b than the latter. The degree of polarization of chlorophyll a fluorescence is 6% in bundle sheath and 4% in mesophyll chloroplasts. This result is consistent with the presence of relatively high amounts of oriented long wavelength forms of chlorophyll a in bundle sheath compared to mesophyll chloroplasts. The relative yield of variable, with respect to constant, chorophyll a fluorescence in mesophyll chloroplasts is more than twice that in bundle sheath chloroplast. Furthermore, the relative yield of total chlorophyll a fluorescence is 40% lower in bundle sheath compared to that in mesophyll chloroplasts. This is in agreement with the presence of the higher ratio of the weakly fluorescent pigment system I to pigment system II in bundle sheath than in mesophyll chloroplast. The efficiency of energy transfer from chlorophyll b and carotenoids to chlorophyll a are calculated to be 100 and 50%, respectively, in both types of chloroplasts. Fluorescence quenching of atebrin, reflecting high energy state of chloroplasts, is 10 times higher in mesophyll chloroplasts than in bundle sheath chloroplasts during noncyclic electron flow but is equal during cyclic flow. The entire electron transport chain is shown to be present in both types of chloroplasts, as inferred from the antagonistic effect of red (650 nm) and far red (710 nm) lights on the absorbance changes at 559 nm and 553 nm, and the photoreduction of methyl viologen from H₂O. (The rate of methyl viologen photoreduction in bundle sheath chloroplasts was 40% of that of mesophyll chloroplasts.)     

Separation of mesophyll protoplasts and bundle sheath cells from maize leaves for photosynthetic studies

Mesophyll protoplasts and bundle sheath strands of maize (Zea mays L.) leaves have been isolated by enzymatic digestion with cellulase. Mesophyll protoplasts, enzymatically released from maize leaf segments, were further purified by use of a polyethylene glycol-dextran liquid-liquid two phase system. Bundle sheath strands released from the leaf segments were isolated using filtration techniques. Light and electron microscopy show separation of the mesophyll cell protoplasts from bundle sheath strands. Two varieties of maize isolated mesophyll protoplasts had chlorophyll a/b ratios of 3.1 and 3.3, whereas isolated bundle sheath strands had chlorophyll a/b ratios of 6.2 and 6.6. Based on the chlorophyll a/b ratios in mesophyll protoplasts, bundle sheath cells, and whole leaf extracts, approximately 60% of the chlorophyll in the maize leaves would be in mesophyll cells and 40% in bundle sheath cells. The purity of the preparations was also evident from the exclusive localization of phosphopyruvate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.31) and NADP-dependent malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1) in mesophyll cells and ribulose 1,5-diphosphate carboxylase (EC 4.1.1.39), phosphoribulokinase (EC 2.7.1.19), and “malic enzyme” (EC 1.1.1.40) in bundle sheath cells. NADP-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.2.1.13) was found in both mesophyll and bundle sheath cells, while ribose 5-phosphate isomerase (EC 5.3.1.6) was primarily found in bundle sheath cells. In comparison to the enzyme activities in the whole leaf extract, there was about 90% recovery of the mesophyll enzymes and 65% recovery of the bundle sheath enzymes in the cellular preparations.     

Ultrastructural alterations in mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts of two maize cultivars in response to chilling at high irradiance

Maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings of two cultivars (cv. Bastion adapted to W. Europe, and cv. Batan 8686 adapted to the highlands of Mexico), raised in a glasshouse (19–25 °C), were transferred to 4.5 or 9 °C at photon flux density (PPFD) of 950 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ with 10-h photoperiod for 58 h and then allowed to recover at 22 °C for 16 h (14 h dark and 2 h at PPFD of 180 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹). The ultrastructural responses after 4 h or 26 h at 4.5 °C were the disappearance of starch grains in the bundle sheath chloroplasts and the contraction of intrathylakoid spaces in stromal thylakoids of the mesophyll chloroplasts. At this time, bundle sheath chloroplasts of cv. Batan 8686 formed peripheral reticulum. Prolonged stress at 4.5 °C (50 h) caused plastid swelling and the dilation of intrathylakoid spaces, mainly in mesophyll chloroplasts. Bundle sheath chloroplasts of cv. Batan 8686 seedlings appeared well preserved in shape and structure. Batan 8686 had also higher net photosynthetic rates during chilling and recovery than Bastion. Extended leaf photobleaching developed during the recovery period after chilling at 4.5 °C. This was associated with collapsed chloroplast envelopes, disintegrated chloroplasts and very poor staining.     

The chloroplast nucleoids of the bundle sheath and mesophyll cells of Zea mays

Dimorphic chloroplasts of Zea mays L. cv. GH5004 from bundle sheath and mesophyll cells contained similar amounts of DNA, while bundle sheath chloroplasts contained twice the number of nucleoids compared to mesophyll chloroplasts. On average bundle sheath nucleoids were half the size of mesophyll nucleoids and contained half as much DNA. Electron microscope autoradiography of the chloroplasts showed that the nucleoid DNA is associated with the thylakoids and in the case of mesophyll chloroplasts preferentially with the grana. These observations suggest that the differences in nucleoid distribution may be due to differences in membrane morphology, with the small nucleoids of agranal bundle sheath chloroplasts being widely dispersed.     

DEVELOPMENT OF THE DIMORPHIC CHLOROPLASTS OF SUGAR CANE

The vascular bundle sheath cells of sugar cane contain starch-storing chloroplasts lacking grana, whereas the adjacent mesophyll cells contain chloroplasts which store very little starch and possess abundant grana. This study was undertaken to determine the ontogeny of these dimorphic chloroplasts. Proplastids in the two cell types in the meristematic region of light-grown leaves cannot be distinguished morphologically. Bundle sheath cell chloroplasts in tissue with 50% of its future chlorophyll possess grana consisting of 2-8 thylakoids/granum. Mesophyll cell chloroplasts of the same age have better developed grana and large, well structured prolamellar bodies. A few grana are still present in bundle sheath cell chloroplasts when the leaf tissue has 75% of its eventual chlorophyll, and prolamellar bodies are also found in mesophyll cell chloroplasts at this stage. The two cell layers in mature dark-grown leaves contain morphologically distinct etio-plasts. The response of these two plastids to light treatment also differs. Plastids in tissue treated with light for short periods exhibit protrusions resembling mitochondria. Plastids in bundle sheath cells of dark-grown leaves do not go through a grana-forming stage. It is concluded that the structure of the specialized chloroplasts in bundle sheath cells of sugar cane is a result of reduction, and that the development of chloroplast dimorphism is related in some way to leaf cell differentiation.     

Bundle sheath chloroplasts of rice are more sensitive to drought stress than mesophyll chloroplasts

We investigated the effects of drought stress on the ultrastructure of chloroplasts in rice plants. After the seedlings were grown in a glasshouse for 1 month, they were treated for drought stress using two methods. One drought treatment was imposed by reducing the water supply to the plants for 1 month. The other was imposed by withholding water for 2 weeks to examine the withering process of leaves by drought stress. The ultrastructural changes of chloroplasts in bundle sheath cells were more prominent than those in mesophyll cells under both drought stress treatments. Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco) content in bundle sheath chloroplasts reduced more dramatically than in mesophyll chloroplasts by drought stress. Although a slight swelling of thylakoids was sometimes observed in bundle sheath chloroplasts in moderate stress for 1 month, the thylakoids were less affected by drought stress than chloroplast envelope. These results suggest that chloroplasts in bundle sheath cells were more sensitive to drought stress than those in mesophyll cells and the thylakoids were less damaged by drought stress compared with chloroplast envelope.     

Hill Reaction, Hydrogen Peroxide Scavenging, and Ascorbate Peroxidase Activity of Mesophyll and Bundle Sheath Chloroplasts of NADP-Malic Enzyme Type C(4) Species

Intact mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts wee isolated from the NADP-malic enzyme type C₄ plants maize, sorghum (monocots), and Flaveria trinervia (dicot) using enzymic digestion and mechanical isolation techniques. Bundle sheath chloroplasts of this C₄ subgroup tend to be agranal and were previously reported to be deficient in photosystem II activity. However, following injection of intact bundle sheath chloroplasts into hypotonic medium, thylakoids had high Hill reaction activity, similar to that of mesophyll chloroplasts with the Hill oxidants dichlorophenolindophenol, p-benzoquinone, and ferricyanide (approximately 200 to 300 micromoles O₂ evolved per mg chlorophyll per hour). In comparison to that of mesophyll chloroplasts, the Hill reaction activity of bundle sheath chloroplasts of maize and sorghum was labile and lost activity during assay. Bundle sheath chloroplasts of maize also exhibited some capacity for 3-phosphoglycerate dependent O₂ evolution (29 to 58 micromoles O₂ evolved per milligram chlorophyll per hour). Both the mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts were equally effective in light dependent scavenging of hydrogen peroxide. The results suggest that both chloroplast types have noncyclic electron transport and the enzymology to reduce hydrogen peroxide to water. The activities of ascorbate peroxidase from these chloroplast types was consistent with their capacity to scavenge hydrogen peroxide.     

Structure and distribution of chloroplasts and other organelles in leaves with various rates of photosynthesis

The ultrastructure and distribution of chloroplasts, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and other cellular constituents have been examined in cross sections of leaves from plants with either high or low photosynthetic capacity. Photosynthetic capacity of a given plant cannot be correlated with the presence or absence of grana in bundle sheath cell chloroplasts, the presence or absence of starch grains in bundle sheath or mesophyll cell chloroplasts, the chloroplast size in bundle sheath or mesophyll cells, or the location of chloroplasts within bundle sheath cells. We conclude that the number and concentration of chloroplasts, mitochondria, and peroxisomes in bundle sheath cells is the most reliable anatomical criterion presently available for determining the photosynthetic capacity of a given plant.     

Expression of the Major Light-Harvesting Chlorophyll a/b-Protein and Its Import into Thylakoids of Mesophyll and Bundle Sheath Chloroplasts of Maize

Distribution of the major light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein (LHCII) and its mRNA within bundle sheath and mesophyll cells of maize (Zea mays L.) was studied using in situ immunolocalization and hybridization, respectively. In situ hybridization with specific LHCII RNA probes from maize and Lemna gibba definitively shows the presence of high levels of mRNA for LHCII in both bundle sheath cells and mesophyll cells. In situ immuno-localization studies, using an LHCII monoclonal antibody, demonstrate the presence of LHCII polypeptides in chloroplasts of both cell types. The polypeptide composition of LHCII and the amount of LHCII in bundle sheath cells are different from those in mesophyll cells. Both mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts can take up, import and process the in vitro transcribed and translated LHCII precursor protein from L. gibba. Although bundle sheath chloroplasts incorporate LHCII into the pigmented light-harvesting complex, the efficiency is lower than that in mesophyll chloroplasts.     

Photochemical systems in mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts of C4 plants

1. The agranal bundle sheath chloroplasts of Sorghum bicolor possess very low Photosystem II activity compared with the grana-containing mesophyll chloroplasts.

2. Sorghum mesophyll chloroplasts have a chlorophyll (chl) and carotenoid composition similar to that of spinach chloroplasts. In contrast, the sorghum bundle sheath chloroplasts have a higher chl a/chl b ratio; they are enriched in β-carotene and contain relatively less xanthophylls as compared to sorghum mesophyll or spinach chloroplasts.

3. Sorghum mesophyll chloroplasts with 1 cytochrome f, 2 cytochrome b₆ and 2 cytochrome b-559 per 430 chlorophylls have a cytochrome composition similar to spinach chloroplasts. Sorghum bundle sheath chloroplasts contain cytochrome f and cytochrome b₆ in the same molar ratios as for the mesophyll chloroplasts, but cytochrome b-559 is barely detectable.

4. The chl/P700 ratios of mesophyll chloroplasts of S. bicolor and mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts of Atriplex spongiosa are similar to that of spinach chloroplasts suggesting that these chloroplasts possess an identical photosynthetic unit size to that of spinach. The agranal bundle sheath chloroplasts of S. bicolor possess a photosynthetic unit which contains only about half as many chlorophyll molecules per P700 as found in the grana-containing chloroplasts.

5. The similarity of the composition of the bundle sheath chloroplasts of S. bicolor with that of the Photosystem I subchloroplast fragments, together with their smaller photosynthetic unit and low Photosystem II activities suggests that these chloroplasts are highly deficient in the pigment assemblies of Photosystem II.     

Isolation of Intact and Functional Chloroplasts from Mesophyll and Bundle Sheath Protoplasts of the C(4) Plant Panicum miliaceum

A procedure is described for isolating and purifying mesophyll protoplasts and bundle sheath protoplasts of the C₄ plant Panicum miliaceum. Following enzymic digestion of leaf tissue, mesophyll protoplasts and bundle sheath protoplasts are released and purified by density centrifugation. The lower density of mesophyll protoplasts allowed rapid separation of the two protoplast types. Evidence for separation of mesophyll protoplasts and bundle sheath protoplasts (up to 95% purity) is provided from light microscopy (based on size difference in both chloroplasts and protoplasts), levels of marker enzymes in the preparations (i.e. pyruvate, Pi dikinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase for mesophyll and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase for bundle sheath), and differences in substrate-dependent O₂ evolution by chloroplasts isolated from protoplasts.     

Chlorophyll a forms in mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts of Zea mays leaves grown at low light intensity

Mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts were prepared fromleaves of Zea mays grown at light intensities of 1.1 and 240µW/cm², respectively. The mesophyll chloroplasts thatdeveloped at the low intensity and bundle sheath chloroplatsthat developed at both low and high intensities showed higherratios of chlorophyll a/b and P700/chlorophylls compared withthe normal ratios found for the mesophyll chloroplasts thathad developed at the high intensity. Derivative absorption spectrophotometryat 77?K revealed that the low intensity mesophyll chloroplastscontained more of chlorophyll a forms with longer wavelengthred bands than high intensity mesophyll chloroplasts. More ofthe longer wavelength forms of chlorophyll a were also presentin the bundle sheath chloroplasts that had developed at lowand high intensities. All these four types of chloroplasts showedtwo peaks of fluorescence, one at 687 hra and the other at 733or 738 nm. In addition to these peaks, the high intensity mesophyllchloroplasts showed a shoulder at 697 nm, and the two typesof bundle sheath chloroplasts showed a shoulder at 680 nm. (Received June 17, 1974; )     

Lincomycin-induced alteration in the contents of chlorophyll-protein complexes of dimorphic maize chloroplasts and its effect on the temperature-induced spectral changes

The difference spectroscopy technique has been utilized to investigate the temperature-induced spectral changes in mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts of maize ( Zea mays L. cv. Ganga-5) in order to assess the role of different pigment-protein complexes in the manifestation of temperature effect on the chloroplast membranes. Cooling and heating of both mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts resulted in absorbance difference (AA) bands at similar wavelengths but the degree of absorb-ance changes were significantly higher in bundle sheath chloroplasts. For example, upon cooling to 7-8°C, positive AA bands were observed at 440, 490 and 680 nm in mesophyll chloroplasts and at 440, 495–500 and 680 nm in bundle sheath chloroplasts but the absorbance change at 680 nm was ca 2% in mesophyll chloroplasts, whereas it was ca 5% in bundle sheath chloroplasts, which have a lower content of light-harvesting pigment-protein complex. The role of chlorophyll-protein complexes was further investigated by monitoring the temperature-induced spectral changes of mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts isolated from lincomycin-treated maize plants where lincomycin selectively inhibits the biosynthesis of specific chlorophyll-protein complexes. Results indicated that depletion of certain pigment-protein complexes in mesophyll chloroplasts made them more susceptible (a ca 4% vs ca 2% absorbance change upon cooling and a ca 6% vs ca 4% absorbance change upon heating) and less tolerant to temperature variation (a 76% vs 39% reversibility during ambient→Cooling→ambient temperature cycle). The data indicate that pigment-protein complexes play a significant role in protecting the chloroplast membranes against temperature variation.     

Fluorescence and Delayed Light Emission from Mesophyll and Bundle Sheath Cells in Leaves of Normal and Salt-Treated Panicum miliaceum

A modified fluorescence microscope system was used to measure chlorophyll fluorescence and delayed light emission from mesophyll and bundle sheath cells in situ in fresh-cut sections from leaves of Panicum miliaceum L. The fluorescence rise in 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1, 1-dimethylurea (DCMU)-treated leaves and the slow fluorescence kinetics in untreated leaves show that mesophyll chloroplasts have larger photosystem II unit sizes than do bundle sheath chloroplasts. The larger photosystem II units imply more efficient noncyclic electron transport in mesophyll chloroplasts. Quenching of slow fluorescence also differs between the cell types with mesophyll chloroplasts showing complex kinetics and bundle sheath chloroplasts showing a relatively simple decline. Properties of the photosynthetic system were also investigated in leaves from plants grown in soil containing elevated NaCl levels. As judged by changes in both fluorescence kinetics in DCMU-treated leaves and delayed light emission in leaves not exposed to DCMU, salinity altered photosystem II in bundle sheath cells but not in mesophyll cells. This result may indicate different ionic distributions in the two cell types or, alternatively, different responses of the two chloroplast types to environmental change.     

pH Dependence and Cofactor Requirements of Photochemical Reactions in Maize Chloroplasts

The pH dependence of the photoreduction of ferricyanide and the photoreduction of NADP from water and photosystem I activity have been compared in isolated chloroplasts from mesophyll and bundle sheath cells of Zea mays. The maximum activity of photoreduction of ferricyanide occurs at pH 8.5 in isolated mesophyll chloroplasts. The addition of methylamine does not cause a marked shift in the pH maximum, but brief sonication lowers the pH maximum to 7.0. In contrast, isolated bundle sheath chloroplasts have a pH maximum at 7.0 and the shape of the pH versus activity curve is similar to that of sonicated mesophyll chloroplasts. When photoreduction of ferricyanide by the isolated chloroplasts is measured at their pH maxima, the values for bundle sheath chloroplasts are about half those of methylamine-treated mesophyll chloroplasts on a chlorophyll basis.     

Recovery of maize seedling growth, development and photosynthetic efficiency after initial growth at low temperature

In order to investigate the mechanisms of maize adaptation to temperate climate, we studied photosynthetic efficiency, as evaluated by means of phiPSII and chloroplast ultrastructure, as well as growth and development of two inbred lines (the chilling-tolerant KW 1074 and the chilling-sensitive CM 109) under laboratory conditions. Plants were grown from seed to the 3rd leaf stage at a suboptimal temperature (14 degrees C/ 12 degrees C) and then the temperature was increased to 24 degrees C/22 degrees C. To verify the results obtained with the two model lines, twelve inbred lines were tested under both laboratory and field conditions. Initial growth at low temperature affected the chloroplast ultrastructure and photosynthetic efficiency, and this was more pronounced in CM 109 than in KW 1074 plants. The differences between the two lines were particularly pronounced in leaf 5. One week after the onset of favourable conditions, mesophyll chloroplast grana in the CM 109 line were small and thylakoids were developed only poorly. Also, thylakoids in bundle sheath chloroplasts were less frequent in CM 109 than in KW 1074. However, two weeks after the temperature increase, the ultrastructure of chloroplasts of the 5th leaf no longer differed distinctly between the two lines. One should note that in both lines, only the 7th and younger leaves reached a chloroplast ultrastructure and phiPSII indistinguishable from those of control plants. In general, the recovery of photosynthetic efficiency followed the development of leaves. It was delayed in the CM 109 more than in the KW 1074 inbred line relative to control plants grown continuously at the optimal temperature. The growth difference of 2-3 days between the two lines persisted even after the growth temperature was elevated. This suggested that the primary factor responsible for the different chilling-sensitivities of the two model lines was leaf development and the differences in development of the photosynthetic apparatus had only a secondary role. The delay in leaf development appeared as early as the stage of the 1st leaf. The same delay was observed when only the shoot apex was cooled. The importance for further recovery of the early stages of morphogenesis was confirmed by a correlation of Laboratory and field data that were obtained using a set of 12 inbred lines. Our results suggest that early stages of shoot morphogenesis determine the duration of the vegetative phase in cool regions, since the delay in growth at a low temperature cannot be compensated for during later growth at a higher temperature.     

Effects of Polyploidy on Photosynthetic Rates, Photosynthetic Enzymes, Contents of DNA, Chlorophyll, and Sizes and Numbers of Photosynthetic Cells in the C(4) Dicot Atriplex confertifolia

Photosynthetic rates, chlorophyll content, and activities of several photosynthetic enzymes were determined per cell, per unit DNA, and per unit leaf area in five ploidal levels of the C₄ dicot Atriplex confertifolia. Volumes of bundle sheath and mesophyll protoplasts were measured in enzymatic digestions of leaf tissue. Photosynthetic rates per cell, contents of DNA per cell, and activities of the bundle sheath enzymes ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPC) and NAD-malic enzyme per cell were correlated with ploidal level at 99% or 95% confidence levels, and the results suggested a near proportional relationship between gene dosage and gene products. There was also a high correlation between volume of mesophyll and bundle sheath cells and the ploidal level. Contents of DNA per cell, activity of RuBPC per cell, and volumes of cells were correlated with photosynthetic rate per cell at the 95% confidence level. The mesophyll cells did not respond to changes in ploidy like the bundle sheath cells. In the mesophyll cells the chlorophyll content per cell was constant at different ploidal levels, there was less increase in cell volume than in bundle sheath cells with an increase in ploidy, and there was not a significant correlation (at 95% level) of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase activity or content and pyruvate,Pi dikinase activity with increase in ploidy. The number of photosynthetic cells per unit leaf area progressively decreased with increasing ploidy from diploid to hexaploid, but thereafter remained constant in octaploid and decaploid plants. Numbers of cells per leaf area were not correlated with cell volumes. The mean photosynthetic rates per unit leaf area were lowest in the diploid, similar in 4×, 6×, and 8×, and highest in the decaploid. The photosynthetic rate per leaf area was highly correlated with the DNA content per leaf area.