Effect of drought stress on net CO2 uptake by Zea leaves

The net CO₂ assimilation by leaves of maize (Zea mays L. cv. Adonis) plants subjected to slow or rapid dehydration decreased without changes in the total extractable activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and malic enzyme (ME). The phosphorylation state of PEPC extracted from leaves after 2–3 h of exposure to light was not affected by water deficit, either. Moreover, when plants which had been slowly dehydrated to a leaf relative water content of about 60% were rehydrated, the net CO₂ assimilation by leaves increased very rapidly without any changes in the activities of MDH, ME and PEPC or phosphorylation state of PEPC. The net CO₂-dependent O₂ evolution of a non-wilted leaf measured with an oxygen electrode decreased as CO₂ concentration increased and was totally inhibited when the CO₂ concentration was about 10%. Nevertheless, high CO₂ concentrations (5–10%) counteracted most of the inhibitory effect of water deficit that developed during a slow dehydration but only counteracted a little of the inhibitory effect that developed during a rapid dehydration. In contrast to what could be observed during a rapidly developing water deficit, inhibition of leaf photosynthesis by cis-abscisic acid could be alleviated by high CO₂ concentrations. These results indicate that the inhibition of leaf net CO₂ uptake brought about by water deficit is mainly due to stomatal closure when a maize plant is dehydrated slowly while it is mainly due to inhibition of non-stomatal processes when a plant is rapidly dehydrated. The photosynthetic apparatus of maize leaves appears to be as resistant to drought as that of C₃ plants. The non-stomatal inhibition observed in rapidly dehydrated leaves might be the result of either a down-regulation of the photosynthetic enzymes by changes in metabolite pool sizes or restricted plasmodesmatal transport between mesophyll and bundle-sheath cells.     

Photochemical efficiency of Photosystem II and xanthophyll cycle components in Zea mays leaves exposed to water stress and high light

The effects of two light treatments (photosynthetically active photon flux density of either 650 or 1950 µmol m^–2 s^–1) on the photochemical efficiency of Photosystem II (PS II) (measured as variable to maximum fluorescence ratio) and on the xanthophyll cycle components was studied in wilted Zea mays leaves. For comparison, these parameters were followed under the same light conditions in well-hydrated leaves maintained either in normal or CO₂-free air. The net CO₂ assimilation of dehydrated leaves declined rapidly as their relative water content (RWC) decreased from 100 to 60% while the PS II efficiency measured after a prolonged dark period of 16 h declined only when RWC leaves was lower than 60%. Furthermore, drought caused an increase in the pool size of the xanthophyll cycle pigments and the presence of a sustained elevated level of zeaxanthin and antheraxanthin at the end of the long dark period. The leaf water deficit enhanced the sensitivity of PS II efficiency to light exposure. During illumination, strong inhibition of PS II efficiency and large violaxanthin deepoxidation was observed in wilted leaves even under moderate photon flux density compared to control leaves in the same conditions. After 2 h of darkness following the light treatment, the PS II efficiency that is dependent on the previous PPFD, decreased with leaf water deficit. Moreover, zeaxanthin epoxidation led to an accumulation of antheraxanthin in dehydrated leaves. All these drought effects on PS II efficiency and xanthophyll cycle components were also obtained in well-hydrated leaves by short-term CO₂ deprivation during illumination. We conclude that the increased susceptibility of PS II efficiency to light in wilted maize leaves is mainly explained by the decrease of CO₂ availability and the resulting low net CO₂ assimilation.