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Soil Cu contamination destroys the photosynthetic systems and hampers the growth of green vegetables

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

Soil metal contamination leads to a decrease in a yield of crops and is a threat to human health. In the present study, the properties (i.e., photosynthetic pigments, gas-exchange parameters, chlorophyll fluorescence, biomass, leaf area, leaf mass per area) of three green vegetables (i.e., Brassica chinensis, Chrysanthemum coronarium, Brassica alboglabra) grown under various Cu treatments [0, 200, 400, and 600 mg(Cu) kg–1] were measured and analysed. The results showed that soil Cu contamination resulted in the damage of photosynthetic pigments, negative effects on gas exchange, and hampered growth of all three vegetables. However, it did not significantly influence PSII functions of the three vegetables. It indicates that soil Cu contamination negatively affected photosynthesis particularly due to stomatal factors, but not due to the damage of photosynthetic apparatus.

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Abbreviations

ABS/RC:

absorption

Car:

carotenoids

Chl:

chlorophyll

C i :

intercellular CO2 concentration

DFabs :

driving forces

DI0/RC:

dissipation at t = 0

E :

transpiration rate

ET0/RC:

electron transport at t = 0

Fm :

maximum Chl fluorescence intensity

F0 :

minimum Chl fluorescence intensity

Fv/Fm :

maximum yield of PSII photochemistry

gs:

stomatal conductance

HCu:

high Cu contamination

LA:

leaf area

LCu:

low Cu contamination

LMA:

leaf mass per area

MCu:

middle Cu contamination

OEC:

oxygen-evolving complex

PIabs :

photosynthetic performance index

P N :

net photosynthetic rate

QA :

primary bound plastoquinone

QB :

secondary bound plastoquinone

RC:

reaction center

TR0/RC:

energy flux for trapping at t = 0

φE0 :

probability that an absorbed photon will move an electron into the electron transport chain

φP0 :

maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry

ΨE0 :

efficiency with which a trapped exciton can move an electron into the electron transport chain

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Coastal Basin Environment, Fuqing Branch of Fujian Normal University, Fuqing, Fujian Province, 350300, China

    M.-Z. Lin

  2. School of Ocean Science and Biochemistry Engineering, Fuqing Branch of Fujian Normal University, Fuqing, Fujian Province, 350300, China

    M.-F. Jin

  3. Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Eco-Industrial Green Technology (Wuyi University), Wuyishan, Fujian Province, 354300, China

    M.-Z. Lin

Authors
  1. M.-Z. Lin
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  2. M.-F. Jin
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Correspondence to M.-Z. Lin.

Additional information

Acknowledgements: We thank three anonymous reviewers and the associate editor for their constructive comments that improved this manuscript. This study was partly supported by Natural Science Foundation of China (31370589) and the Open Project Program of Provincial Key Laboratory of Eco-Industrial Green Technology, Wuyi University. We would like to thank L.-R. Lin, A.-L. Liu, and L.-Y. Zhu, Fuqing Branch of Fujian Normal University, for their help in experiment.

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Lin, MZ., Jin, MF. Soil Cu contamination destroys the photosynthetic systems and hampers the growth of green vegetables. Photosynthetica 56, 1336–1345 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-018-0831-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-018-0831-7

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