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Photoprotection by foliar anthocyanins mitigates effects of boron toxicity in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum)

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Abstract

Boron (B) toxicity is an important agricultural problem in arid environments. Excess edaphic B compromises photosynthetic efficiency, limits growth and reduces crop yield. However, some purple-leafed cultivars of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) exhibit greater tolerance to high B concentrations than do green-leafed cultivars. We hypothesised that foliar anthocyanins protect basil leaf mesophyll from photo-oxidative stress when chloroplast function is compromised by B toxicity. Purple-leafed ‘Red Rubin’ and green-leafed ‘Tigullio’ cultivars, grown with high or negligible edaphic B, were given a photoinhibitory light treatment. Possible effects of photoabatement by anthocyanins were simulated by superimposing a purple polycarbonate filter on the green leaves. An ameliorative effect of light filtering on photosynthetic quantum yield and on photo-oxidative load was observed in B-stressed plants. In addition, when green protoplasts from both cultivars were treated with B and illuminated through a screen of anthocyanic protoplasts or a polycarbonate film which approximated cyanidin-3-O-glucoside optical properties, the degree of photoinhibition, hydrogen peroxide production, and malondialdehyde content were reduced. The data provide evidence that anthocyanins exert a photoprotective role in purple-leafed basil mesophyll cells, thereby contributing to improved tolerance to high B concentrations.

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Abbreviations

Φ PSII :

Quantum yield of photosystem II

Chl:

Chlorophyll

DCFH-DA:

2′,7′-Dichlorofluorescein diacetate

DCF:

2′,7′-Dichlorofluorescein

ETR:

Electron transport rate

F v/F m :

Maximal quantum yield of photosystem II

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

MES:

2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid

NPQ:

Non-photochemical quenching

PSII:

Photosystem II

q P :

Photochemical quenching coefficient

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

TBA:

Thiobarbituric acid

TCA:

Trichloroacetic acid

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded in part by MIUR-PRIN 2009 (Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca, Italy, Project number 20093R8JLB).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124, Pisa, Italy

    Marco Landi, Lucia Guidi & Alberto Pardossi

  2. Institute of Plant Protection, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy

    Massimiliano Tattini

  3. School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, 6140, New Zealand

    Kevin S. Gould

Authors
  1. Marco Landi
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  2. Lucia Guidi
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  3. Alberto Pardossi
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  4. Massimiliano Tattini
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  5. Kevin S. Gould
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lucia Guidi.

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Special topic: Anthocyanins. Guest editor: Stefan Martens.

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Landi, M., Guidi, L., Pardossi, A. et al. Photoprotection by foliar anthocyanins mitigates effects of boron toxicity in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). Planta 240, 941–953 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-014-2087-1

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