Prediction of growth rate at different light levels from measured photosynthesis and respiration rates

Light integrators with a linear response are not suitable for measuring the light climates of plants because plants are not linear integrators. It should be possible to make a quantitative allowance for this nonlinearity by using the CO₂ uptake curve of the plant. To test this, we have subjected white clover plants to different levels of constant light, comparing the rate of increase of total dry matter with the net rate of uptake of CO₂ per day. Temperature, humidity, daylength and nutrient supply were kept constant. The growth rate calculated from CO₂ uptake agreed well with the observed rate over the light levels tested (3.7-88 w·m⁻², 0.4-0.7 micron: 1 w·m⁻² = 10³ erg · sec⁻¹ cm⁻²). All plants put on weight over the few days of the experiment, even those placed at light levels below their compensation point. The plants adapted their respiration rates to be a constant proportion of their growth rates. Most of the adaptation occurred within 24 hours of the light change. The adaptation of respiration has implications for models of light/growth relations in plant communities, almost all of which assume that respiration is proportional to leaf area and independent of growth rate or light level. The only model which does not is that of de Wit, and this gave good agreement with our results.     

Leaf photosynthesis, plant growth and nitrogen allocation in rice under different irradiances

The photosynthetic rates and various components of photosynthesis including ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco; EC 4.1.1.39), chlorophyll (Chl), cytochrome (Cyt) f, and coupling factor 1 (CF₁) contents, and sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS; EC 2.4.1.14) activity were examined in young, fully expanded leaves of rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown hydroponically under two irradiances, namely, 1000 and 350 μmol quanta · m⁻² · s⁻¹, at three N concentrations. The light-saturated rate of photosynthesis measured at 1800 μmol · m⁻² · s⁻¹ was almost the same for a given leaf N content irrespective of growth irradiance. Similarly, Rubisco content and SPS activity were not different for the same leaf N content between irradiance treatments. In contrast, Chl content was significantly greater in the plants grown at 350 μmol · m⁻² · s⁻¹, whereas Cyt f and CF₁ contents tended to be slightly smaller. However, these changes were not substantial, as shown by the fact that the light-limited rate of photosynthesis measured at 350 μmol · m⁻² · s⁻¹ was the same or only a little higher in the plants grown at 350 μmol · m⁻² · s⁻¹ and that CO₂-saturated photosynthesis did not differ between irradiance treatments. These results indicate that growth-irradiance-dependent changes in N partitioning in a leaf were far from optimal with respect to N-use efficiency of photosynthesis. In spite of the difference in growth irradiance, the relative growth rate of the whole plant did not differ between the treatments because there was an increase in the leaf area ratio in the low-irradiance-grown plants. This increase was associated with the preferential N-investment in leaf blades and the extremely low accumulation of starch and sucrose in leaf blades and sheaths, allowing a more efficient use of the fixed carbon. Thus, morphogenic responses at the whole-plant level may be more important for plants as an adaptation strategy to light environments than a response of N partitioning at the level of a single leaf. Received: 23 February 1997 / Accepted: 8 May 1997     

Glycine decarboxylase controls photosynthesis and plant growth

Photorespiration makes oxygenic photosynthesis possible by scavenging 2-phosphoglycolate. Hence, compromising photorespiration impairs photosynthesis. We examined whether facilitating photorespiratory carbon flow in turn accelerates photosynthesis and found that overexpression of the H-protein of glycine decarboxylase indeed considerably enhanced net-photosynthesis and growth of Arabidopsis thaliana. At the molecular level, lower glycine levels confirmed elevated GDC activity in vivo, and lower levels of the CO₂ acceptor ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate indicated higher drain from CO₂ fixation. Thus, the photorespiratory enzyme glycine decarboxylase appears as an important feed-back signaller that contributes to the control of the Calvin-Benson cycle and hence carbon flow through both photosynthesis and photorespiration.     

Photoinhibition of photosynthesis and growth responses at different light levels in psbA gene mutants of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus

Photoinhibition of photosynthesis and growth responses at diffrent light levels (10, 120 and 250 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) were studied in psbA gene mutants R2S2C3 ( psbAI gene present) and R2K1 ( psbAIIIpsbAIII genes present) of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp . PCC 7942 ( Anacystis nidulans R2). Mutant R2K1 (possessing form II of the D1 protein of photosystem II) was much more resistant to photoinhibition than the mutant R2S2C3 (possessing form I of the D1 protein). At moderate inhibitory light levels (100 to 300 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹) this was largely ascribed to an increased rsistance of the photosystem II reaction cetres possessing form II of the D1 protein. However, at higher light levels the higher resistance mutant R2K1 was assigned to a higher rate of photosystem II repair, i.e. turnover of the D1 protein. Moreover, our results support the hypothesis that photoinhibition of photosystem II and photoinhibitory induced quenching are due to separate processes. Results from growth experiments show that the R2K1 mutant has a slower growth rate than the R2S2C3 mutant but shows an increased survival under high light stress conditions. It is hypothesized that high resistance to photoinhibition, though allowing a better survival under high light, is not advantageous for optimal growth.     

Cadmium stress in wheat seedlings: growth,cadmium accumulation and photosynthesis

Seedlings of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars Jing 411, Jinmai 30 and Yangmai 10 were exposed to 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 μM of CdCl₂ in a solution culture experiment. The effects of cadmium (Cd) stress on wheat growth, leaf photon energy conversion, gas exchange, and Cd accumulation in wheat seedlings were investigated. Gas exchange was monitored at 3, 9, 24 days after treatment (DAT). Growth parameters, chlorophyll content, leaf chlorophyll fluorescence, and Cd concentration in shoot and root were measured at 24 DAT. Seedling growth, gas exchange, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were generally depressed by Cd stress, especially under the high Cd concentrations. Cd concentration and accumulation in both shoots and roots increased with increasing external Cd concentrations. Relationships between corrected parameters of growth, photosynthesis and fluorescence and corrected Cd concentrations in shoots and roots could be explained by the regression model Y = K/(1 + exp(a + bX)). Jing 411 was found to be Cd tolerant considering parameters of chlorophyll content, photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence in which less Cd translocation was from roots into shoots. The high Cd concentrations were in shoots and roots in Yangmai 10 which has been found to be a relative Cd tolerant cultivar in terms of most growth parameters.     

Nitrogen fixation and plant growth of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) at different levels of phosphorus availability

The efficacy of the alumina system for differentiating between bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes for growth at different levels of phosphorus availability was determinated. In addition to response to P levels, comparisons were made between plants receiving N either from fertilizer or nitrogen fixation. When the cv. Carioca was provided with either 100 ppm of N or inoculated withRhizobium leguminosarum biovarphaseoli, differences in shoot dry weight and nodule number were related to P level. There was a greater proportion of green, ineffectivevs. red, active nodules at the low P concentration than at the higher P concentration. In a second experiment, two cvs., Puebla 152 and Carioca and the breeding line UW 24-21, either were inoculated with rhizobia or provided with 150ppm of N. Each genotype-nitrogen combination was grown at 8 levels of P. There was a positive effect of P level on shoot dry weight, nodule number and nodule mass. Root mass was affected less than nodule or shoot mass by the P level of the growth medium. Nodule mass, but not P concentration in the nodules, was affected by P level, whereas in the other plant tissues, P concentrations were lower at lower P levels in the media.     

Spore germination and mycelial growth of streptomycetes at different humidity levels

This study is the first to show the ability of streptomycetes to develop at a very low humidity level. All of the streptomycetes studied produced growth at low humidity (aw 0.86 and 0.67). This capacity was most markedly pronounced in Streptomyces odorifer, whose spores were capable of germinating, and mycelial germs increased in length, at the air humidity aw 0.50. The formation of lateral branches (mycelium branching) at this humidity was noted only in single S. odorifer germs and only after 72 h of incubation. Study of streptomycete growth on an agarized medium with different osmotic pressures, created by various glycerol concentrations in the medium, showed that, at aw 0.67, the spores of all the streptomycetes studied germinate, producing mycelial germs but not microcolonies. The ecological significance of mycelial prokaryotes in soil microbial communities that develop and function under conditions of extremely low humidity is discussed.     

Decrease in phosphoribulokinase activity by antisense RNA in transgenic tobacco. Relationship between photosynthesis, growth, and allocation at different nitrogen levels

To study the direct effects of photosynthesis on allocation of biomass by altering photosynthesis without altering leaf N or nitrate content, phosphoribulokinase (PRK) activity was decreased in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) with an inverted tobacco PRK cDNA and plants were grown at different N levels (0.4 and 5 mM NH4NO3). The activation state of PRK increased as the amount of enzyme was decreased genetically at both levels of N. At high N a 94% decrease in PRK activity had only a small effect (20%) on photosynthesis and growth. At low N a 94% decrease in PRK activity had a greater effect on leaf photosynthesis (decreased by up to 50%) and whole-plant photosynthesis (decreased by up to 35%) than at high N. These plants were up to 35% smaller than plants with higher PRK activities because they had less structural dry matter and less starch, which was decreased by 3- to 4-fold, but still accumulated to 24% to 31% of dry weight; young leaves contained more starch than older leaves in older plants. Leaves had a higher ion and water content, and specific leaf area was higher, but allocation between shoot and root was unaltered. In conclusion, low N in addition to a 94% decrease in PRK by antisense reduces the activity of PRK sufficient to diminish photosynthesis, which limits biomass production under conditions normally considered sink limited.     

Piriformospora indica affects plant growth by auxin production

Piriformospora indica has been shown to improve the growth of many plant species including Arabidopsis thaliana , but the mechanism by which this is achieved is still unclear. Arabidopsis root colonization by P. indica was examined in sterile culture on the medium of Murashige and Skoog. P. indica formed intracellular structures in Arabidopsis root epidermal cells and caused changes in root growth, leading to stunted and highly branched root systems. This effect was because of a diffusible factor and could be mimicked by IAA. In addition, P. indica was shown to produce IAA in liquid culture. We suggest that auxin production affecting root growth is responsible for, or at least contributes to, the beneficial effect of P. indica on its host plants.     

Cadmium detoxification in roots of Pisum sativum seedlings: relationship between toxicity levels,thiol pool alterations and growth

The evaluation of thiol metabolism in plant adaptation to relevant levels of cadmium stress is important for understanding the real importance of phytochelatins and related thiols in stress coping. The present work was designed to study the process of stress adaptation in roots of Pisum sativum L. plants during an exposure to different cadmium concentrations, ranging from more realistic exposures to those usually employed in PC studies. The balance between individual PCs and their homologous hPCs in constitutive thiol pools and root growth was also accessed. Roots of intact plants were submitted to 1, 3, 30, 60 or 120 μM Cd and harvested after 1, 3, 6 and 9 days after exposure. Growth parameters and root tissue cadmium accumulation were analysed. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection was used due to its high sensitivity. Root growth was only affected in concentrations higher than 30 μM Cd, but the presence of low cadmium concentrations induced significant alterations in constitutive thiols and triggered the synthesis of PCs and hPCs, bearing two to four olygomeric repeats. Increasing Cd stress levels were generally associated with higher polythiol production; however, with the time-course of the experiments, higher degrees of toxicity were associated with a reduction in thiol production. This behaviour was attributed to the Cys and GSH depletion, which limited polythiol synthesis, as well as root growth. In tolerable concentrations, the rate of root length recovery matched the increase in PC and hPC synthesis. In higher concentrations (60 and 120 μM), the reduction in non-protein polythiol synthesis was associated with higher Cd toxicity, leading to a severe growth reduction. The synthesis of hPCs seemed to have a reduced importance in tolerance; however, their production was stimulated when the GSH deficit was higher. Our results suggest that the reductions in PC levels, observed in higher degrees of stress, were not related to the activation of other tolerance mechanisms but were instead associated with the high metabolic cost of this thiol-based tolerance mechanism.     

Acute toxicity of ammonia on Litopenaeus vannamei Boone juveniles at different salinity levels

Litopenaeus vannamei juveniles (total length 22+/-2.4 mm) were exposed to different concentrations of ammonia-N (un-ionized plus ionized ammonia as nitrogen), using the static renewal method at different salinity levels of 15 per thousand, 25 per thousand and 35 per thousand at pH 8.05 and 23 degrees C. The 24, 48, 72, 96 h LC50 values of ammonia-N on L. vannamei juveniles were 59.72, 40.58, 32.15, 24.39 mg l(-1) at 15 per thousand; 66.38, 48.83, 43.17, 35.4 mg l(-1) at 25 per thousand; 68.75, 53.84, 44.93, 39.54 mg l(-1) at 35 per thousand, respectively. The 24, 48, 72, 96 h LC50 values of NH(3)-N (un-ionized ammonia as nitrogen) were 2.95, 2.00, 1.59, 1.20 mg l(-1) at 15 per thousand; 2.93, 2.16, 1.91, 1.57 mg l(-1) at 25 per thousand; 2.78, 2.18, 1.82, 1.60 mg l(-1) at 35 per thousand, respectively. As the salinity decreased from 35 per thousand to 15 per thousand, susceptibility of ammonia-N increased by 115%, 132%, 140% and 162% after 24, 48, 72 and 96 h exposure, respectively. The "safety level" for rearing L. vannamei juveniles was estimated to be 2.44, 3.55, 3.95 mg l(-1) for ammonia-N and 0.12, 0.16, 0.16 mg l(-1) for NH(3)-N in 15 per thousand, 25 per thousand and 35 per thousand, respectively.     

不同营养状态下方斑东风螺的镉生物积累及毒性

采用室内模拟方式,研究了方斑东风螺在饥饿及摄食饵料分别为贻贝和沙蚕3种情况下暴露于水体镉(Cd2+,50 μg·L-1)10周后的存活、生长、螺体Cd蓄积及有关毒性效应参数的变化.结果表明:长期饥饿与同时水体Cd暴露降低了方斑东风螺的成活率,且螺体糖原被最大程度动用,摄食有助于螺体抵抗Cd毒性;方斑东风螺肝胰脏DNA受损伤后在摄食状态下随时间延长均有不同程度的自我修复能力,但长期禁食使螺的DNA完整性降低且不能恢复;饥饿引起方斑东风螺体组织萎缩,并导致Cd蓄积与金属硫蛋白(MT)含量升高,摄食螺因体质量增加的稀释作用而具有较低的Cd蓄积与MT含量;摄食贻贝的方斑东风螺较摄食沙蚕有更快的生长率和更低的Cd浓度.表明饥饿加剧了Cd对方斑东风螺的毒性;不同饵料对方斑东风螺的生长有显著影响,并间接影响螺体Cd蓄积、MT诱导和糖原消耗.应用方斑东风螺等海洋腹足类作为环境监测指示种时应考虑栖息地食物丰度和饵料类型等的影响.方斑东风螺高密度工厂化养殖中应注意合理投饵并定期监测海水Cd浓度.     

How plant architecture affects light absorption and photosynthesis in tomato: towards an ideotype for plant architecture using a functional-structural plant model

Background and Aims

Manipulation of plant structure can strongly affect light distribution in the canopy and photosynthesis. The aim of this paper is to find a plant ideotype for optimization of light absorption and canopy photosynthesis. Using a static functional structural plant model (FSPM), a range of different plant architectural characteristics was tested for two different seasons in order to find the optimal architecture with respect to light absorption and photosynthesis.

Methods

Simulations were performed with an FSPM of a greenhouse-grown tomato crop. Sensitivity analyses were carried out for leaf elevation angle, leaf phyllotaxis, leaflet angle, leaf shape, leaflet arrangement and internode length. From the results of this analysis two possible ideotypes were proposed. Four different vertical light distributions were also tested, while light absorption cumulated over the whole canopy was kept the same.

Key Results

Photosynthesis was augmented by 6 % in winter and reduced by 7 % in summer, when light absorption in the top part of the canopy was increased by 25 %, while not changing light absorption of the canopy as a whole. The measured plant structure was already optimal with respect to leaf elevation angle, leaflet angle and leaflet arrangement for both light absorption and photosynthesis while phyllotaxis had no effect. Increasing the length : width ratio of leaves by 1·5 or increasing internode length from 7 cm to 12 cm led to an increase of 6–10 % for light absorption and photosynthesis.

Conclusions

At high light intensities (summer) deeper penetration of light in the canopy improves crop photosynthesis, but not at low light intensities (winter). In particular, internode length and leaf shape affect the vertical distribution of light in the canopy. A new plant ideotype with more spacious canopy architecture due to long internodes and long and narrow leaves led to an increase in crop photosynthesis of up to 10 %.     

Intercropping effect on root growth and nitrogen uptake at different nitrogen levels

Aims Intercropping legumes and non-legumes may affect the root growth of both components in the mixture, and the non-legume is known to be strongly favored by increasing nitrogen (N) supply. The knowledge of how root systems affect the growth of the individual species is useful for understanding the interactions in intercrops as well as for planning cover cropping strategies. The aim of this work was (i) to determine if different levels of N in the topsoil influence root depth (RD) and intensity of barley and vetch as sole crops or as an intercropped mixture and (ii) to test if the choice of a mixture or the N availability in the topsoil will influence the N uptake by deep roots.Methods In this study, we combined rhizotron studies with root extraction and species identification by microscopy with studies of growth, N uptake and 15 N uptake from deeper soil layers, for studying the root interactions of root growth and N foraging for barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and vetch (Vicia sativa L.), frequently grown in mixtures as cover crops. N was added at 0 (N0), 50 (N1) and 150 (N2) kg N ha^-1. The roots discrimination relying on the anatomical and morphological differences observed between dicots and monocots proved to be a reliable method providing valuable data for the analysis.Important findings The intercrop and the barley attained slightly higher root intensity (RI) and RD than the vetch, with values around 150 crosses m^-1 and 1.4 m, respectively, compared to 50 crosses m^-1 and 0.9 m for the vetch. At deep soil layers, intercropping showed slightly larger RI values compared to the sole-cropped barley. The barley and the intercropping had larger root length density (RLD) values (200–600 m m ?3) than the vetch (25–130) at 0.8–1.2 m depth. The topsoil N supply did not show a clear effect on the RI, RD or RLD; however, increasing topsoil N favored the proliferation of vetch roots in the intercropping at deep soil layers, with the barley:vetch root ratio ranging from 25 at N0 to 5 at N2. The N uptake of the barley was enhanced in the intercropping at the expense of the vetch (from ~100mg plant^-1 to 200). The intercropped barley roots took up more labeled nitrogen (0.6mg 15 N plant^-1) than the sole-cropped barley roots (0.3mg 15 N plant^-1) from deep layers.     

Rhizosphere microbial community structure at different maize plant growth stages and root locations

The aims of the present work were (1) to determine the influence of plant growth stages on the population size of culturable bacteria and fungi associated with rhizoplane and endo-rhizosphere of maize grown in field and (2) to establish the community structure of total culturable bacteria and fungi. Density, diversity and community structure of culturable rhizoplane and endo-rhizosphere populations at different maize plant growth stages were estimated. Plant development did not have influence on total culturable microflora density but it selectively influenced some bacterial and fungal groups present in the rhizosphere. However, the microbial community structure changed markedly over time. This knowledge is relevant for exploring endophytic rhizobacteria potential in the promotion of plant-growth, protection against pathogens and to detect perturbations in natural agro ecosystems.