Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Impacts of chilling on photosynthesis and chlorophyll pigment content in juvenile basil cultivars

  • Research Report
  • Cultivation Physiology
  • Published:
Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine several cultivars of Ocimum basilicum L. (green, red, cinnamon, lettuce leaf, lemon, and Thai basils) for photosynthetic performance, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and chlorophyll content under chilling stress conditions of 6°C in comparison to non-stressed controls (18°C). The basil plants were grown in a peat substrate for 8 weeks and then exposed to chilling for 8 or 16 days, under a 300 μmol•m-2•s-1 photosynthetic photon flux. After chilling, significant reductions in both the transpiration (E) and net photosynthetic (P N) rates were observed in basil plants, while the intercellular CO2 concentration (C i) was higher in the plants treated with 6°C in comparison to the controls. The decrease in P N and E was associated with decreased water use efficiency (WUE) and stomatal conductance (g s). The greatest impairment of photosynthesis for Thai basil leaves was observed after 8 days of chilling, and for green basil after the 16-day low temperature treatment. The photosystem II (PSII) activity (Fv/Fm) and variable-to-initial chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/F0) were decreased after chilling. PSII activity was most affected in lettuce leaf basil after 8 days, and in Thai and red basil plants after the prolonged temperature treatment. Low temperatures did not significantly alter the chlorophyll concentration but did increase the Chl a/b ratio in leaves of basil. The results indicated that the decrease in photosynthesis was not attributable mainly to damage to PSII, but rather to chilling-induced photoinhibition of PSI. The knowledge gained in this study on the genotypic variation in basil response should be helpful for future selection of plants with low chilling sensitivity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Allen DJ, Ort DR (2001) Impacts of chilling temperatures on photosynthesis in warm-climate plants. Trends Plant Sci 6(1):36–42

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ashraf M, Harris PJC (2013) Photosynthesis under stressful environments: An overview. Photosynthetica 51(1):163–190

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bekhradi F, Delshad M, Marín A, Luna MC, Garrido Y, Kashi A, Babalar M, Gil MI (2015) Effects of salt stress on physiological and postharvest quality characteristics of different Iranian genotypes of basil. Hortic Environ Biotechnol 56:777–785

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baczek-Kwinta R, Serek B, Wator A (2007) Effect of chilling on total antioxidant capacity and growth processes of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars. Herba Pol 53(3):75–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Carovic K, Liber Z, Javornik B, Kolak I, Satovic Z (2007) Genetic relationships within basil (Ocimum) as revealed by RAPD and AFLP markers. Acta Hortic 760:171–177

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dutta SS, Mohanty A, Tripathy BC (2009) Role of temperature stress on chloroplast biogenesis and protein import in pea. Plant Physiol 150:1050–1061

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Fryer MJ, Andrews JR, Oxborough K, Blowers DA, Baker NR (1998) Relationship between CO2 assimilation, photosynthetic electron transport, and active O2 metabolism in leaves of maize in the field during periods of low temperature. Plant Physiol 116(2):571–580

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gill SS, Tuteja N (2010) Reactive oxygen species and antioxidant machinery in abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants. Plant Physiol Biochem 48:909–930

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gorbe E, Calatayud A (2012) Applications of chlorophyll fluorescence imaging technique in horticultural research: A review. Sci Hortic 138:24–35

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guidi L, Degl’Innocenti E (2012) Chlorophyll a fluorescence in abiotic stress. In B Venkateswarlu, AK Shanker, C Shanker, M Maheswari, eds, Crop Stress and its Management: Perspectives and Strategies. Springer Science+Business Media, NY, USA, pp 359–398

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gururani MA, Venkatesh J, Tran L-SP (2015) Regulation of photosynthesis during abiotic stress-induced photoinhibition. Mol Plant 8(9):1304–1320

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hu WH, Wu Y, Zeng JZ, He L, Zeng QM (2010) Chill-induced inhibition of photosynthesis was alleviated by 24-epibrassinolide pretreatment in cucumber during chilling and subsequent recovery. Photosynthetica 48(4):537–544

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huner NPA, Öquist G, Sarhan F (1998) Energy balance and acclimation to light and cold. Trends Plant Sci 3(6):224–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones HG (2014) Plants and Microclimate: A Quantitative Approach to Environmental Plant Physiology, Ed 3, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalaji HM, Govindjee Bosa K, Koscielniak J, Zuk-Golaszewska K (2011) Effects of salt stress on photosystem II efficiency and CO2 assimilation of two Syrian barley landraces. Environ Exp Bot 73:64–72

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kerdnaimongkol K, Bhatia A, Joly RJ, Woodson WR (1997) Oxidative stress and diurnal variation in chilling sensitivity of tomato seedlings. J Am Soc Hortic Sci 122(4):485–490

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kratsch HA, Wise RR (2000) The ultrastructure of chilling stress. Plant Cell Environ 23:337–350

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lichtenthaler HK, Wellburn AR (1983) Determinations of total carotenoids and chlorophylls a and b of leaf extracts in different solvents. Biochem Soc Trans 603:591–592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lootens P, Van Waes J, Carlier L (2004) Effect of a short photoinhibition stress on photosynthesis, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and pigment contents of different maize cultivars. Can a rapid and objective stress indicator be found? Photosynthetica 42:187–192

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Makri O, Kintzios S (2008) Ocimum sp. (basil). botany, cultivation, pharmaceutical properties, and biotechnology. J Herbs Spices Med Plants 13(3):123–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maleszewski S, Kozlowska-Szerenos B, Jurga A (2003) The role of stomata in joint-action of water and light in plant metabolism. Wiad Bot 47(1/2):27–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Mishra A, Mishra KB, Höermiller II, Heyer AG, Nedbal L (2011) Chlorophyll fluorescence emission as a reporter on cold tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana accessions. Plant Signal Behav 6(2):301–310

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mohanty S, Grimm B, Tripathy BC (2006) Light and dark modulation of chlorophyll biosynthetic genes in response to temperature. Planta 224(3):692–699

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira JG, Alves PLCA, Magalhães ACN (2002) The effect of chilling on the photosynthetic activity in coffee (Coffea arabica L.) seedlings. The protective action of chloroplastid pigments. Braz J Plant Physiol 14:95–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Partelli FL, Vieira HD, Viana AP, Batista-Santos P, Rodrigues AP, Leitão AE, Ramalho JC (2009) Low temperature impact on photosynthetic parameters of coffee genotypes. Pesq Agropec Bras 44(11): 1404–1415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pereyra MS, Davidenco V, Núñez SB, Argüello JA (2014) Chlorophyll content estimation in oregano leaves using a portable chlorophyll meter: relationship with mesophyll thickness and leaf age. Rev Agronomía & Ambiente 34(1-2):77–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Perveen S, Shinwari KI, Mehmood J, Ijaz M, Shafiq R, Murad AK, Muhammad J (2013) Low temperature stress induced changes in biochemical parameters, protein banding pattern and expression of Zat12 and Myb genes in rice seedling. J Stress Physiol Biochem 9(4):193–206

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramalho JC, Quartin VL, Leitão E, Campos PS, Carelli MLC, Fahl JI, Nunes MA (2003) Cold acclimation ability and photosynthesis among species of the tropical Coffea genus. Plant Biol 5(6):631–641

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rathore A, Jasrai YT (2013) Evaluating chlorophyll content in selected plants with varying photosynthetic pathways using Opti-Science CCM-200. Int J Recent Sci Res 4(2):119–121

    Google Scholar 

  • Roosta HR, Sajjadinia A (2010) Studying the effect of cold stress on green basil, violet basil, tomato and lettuce using chlorophyll fluorescence technique. Environ Stresses Crop Sci 3(1):1–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Römer P (2010) Selection of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) breeding material with improved tolerance to low temperature. Zeitschrift für Arznei & Gewürzpflanzen 15(4):178–181

    Google Scholar 

  • Saibo NJM, Lourenço T, Oliveira MM (2009) Transcription factors and regulation of photosynthetic and related metabolism under environmental stresses. Ann Bot 103:609–623

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma P, Jha AB, Dubey RS, Pessarakli M (2012) Reactive oxygen species, oxidative damage, and antioxidative defense mechanism in plants under stressful conditions. J Bot 2012:217037

    Google Scholar 

  • Sonoike K (1996) Photoinhibition of photosystem I: its physiological significance in the chilling sensitivity of plants. Plant Cell Physiol 37:239–247

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sonoike K (2011) Photoinhibition of photosystem I. Physiol Plant 142:56–64

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Terashima I, Funayama S, Sonoike K (1994) The site of photoinhibition in leaves of Cucumis sativus L. at low temperature is photosystem I, not photosystem II. Planta 193:300–306

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Theocharis A, Clément C, Barka EA (2012) Physiological and molecular changes in plants grown at low temperatures. Planta 235:1091–1105

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Turan Ö, Ekmekçi Y (2014) Chilling tolerance of Cicer arietinum lines evaluated by photosystem II and antioxidant activities. Turkish J Bot 38:499–510

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tuteja N, Gill SS (2016) Abiotic Stress Response in Plants, Ed 1, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim,Germany

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Van Heerden PDR, Tsimilli-Michael M, Krüger GHJ, Strasser RJ (2003) Dark chilling effects on soybean genotypes during vegetative development: parallel studies of CO2 assimilation, chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics O-J-I-P and nitrogen fixation. Physiol Plant 117(4):476–491

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xu D-Q, Shen Y-K (2001) Photosynthetic efficiency and crop yield. In M Pessarakli, ed, Handbook of Plant and Crop Physiology. Marcel Dekker Inc., NY, USA, pp 821–834

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu D-Q, Shen Y-K (2005) External and internal factors responsible for midday depression of photosynthesis. In M Pessarakli, ed, Handbook of Photosynthesis. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp 287–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Yadegari LZ, Heidari R, Carapetian J (2008) The influence of cold acclimation on proline, malondialdehyde (MDA). total protein and pigments contents in soybean (Glycine max) seedling. Res J Biol Sci 3(1):74–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang J, Kong Q, Xiang C (2009) Effects of low night temperature on pigments, chl a fluorescence and energy allocation in two bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) genotypes. Acta Physiol Plant 31:285–293

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yordanov I, Velikova V (2000) Photoinhibition of photosystem I. Bulg J Plant Physiol 26(1-2):70–92

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang S, Scheller HV (2004) Photoinhibition of photosystem I at chilling temperature and subsequent recovery in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell Physiol 45(11):1595–1602

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Vegetable and Medicinal Plants, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29-Listopada 54, 31-425, Kraków, Poland

    Andrzej Kalisz, Agnieszka Sękara, Aneta Grabowska & Joanna Gil

  2. Department of Vegetable Growing and Floriculture, Mendel University in Brno, Valtická 337, 691 44, Lednice, Czech Republic

    Aleš Jezdinský & Robert Pokluda

Authors
  1. Andrzej Kalisz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aleš Jezdinský
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Robert Pokluda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Agnieszka Sękara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Aneta Grabowska
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Joanna Gil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrzej Kalisz.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kalisz, A., Jezdinský, A., Pokluda, R. et al. Impacts of chilling on photosynthesis and chlorophyll pigment content in juvenile basil cultivars. Hortic. Environ. Biotechnol. 57, 330–339 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-016-0095-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13580-016-0095-8

Additional key words

Search

Navigation