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Effects of Calcium on Photosynthesis, Antioxidant System, and Chloroplast Ultrastructure in Tomato Leaves Under Low Night Temperature Stress

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Abstract

The effect of exogenous CaCl2 on photosynthesis, antioxidant system, and chloroplast ultrastructure of tomato leaves under low night temperature (LNT) was investigated. Tomato seedlings were pretreated with 27 mM CaCl2, 5 mM EGTA, respectively, for 4 days and then exposed to LNT treatment at 6 °C for 7 days. Plants treated with CaCl2 showed higher photosynthesis, increased stomatal aperture and chloroplast area, and decreased number of starch grains under LNT stress than those treated with distilled water. LNT increased the contents of superoxide radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and malondialdehyde, whereas calcium application reduced the contents of these compounds. The increase in antioxidant activities caused by LNT stress was also enhanced by the application of exogenous calcium. The opposite effects were observed with ethylene glycol-bis-(2-aminoethyl) tetraacetic acid pretreatment. CaCl2 application improved photosynthesis in LNT-stressed plants. Such improvement was associated with increased stomatal conductance, improved antioxidant activities, and adjusted chloroplast structure. These results suggest that CaCl2 application improved photosynthesis in LNT-stressed plants. It provided fundamental information for further molecular mechanism research.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31301813), Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (Grant No. 20132103120007), Liaoning Province Department of Education fund item (Grant No. L2013261), the China Agriculture Research System (Grant No. CARS-25), and the Major Scientific Research Projects of Liaoning Province (Grant No. 2011215003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Horticulture Department, Shenyang Agricultural University, No. 120 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, 110866, People’s Republic of China

    Yu-Feng Liu, Guo-Xian Zhang, Ming-Fang Qi & Tian-Lai Li

  2. Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture of Ministry of Education, No. 120 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, 110866, People’s Republic of China

    Yu-Feng Liu, Guo-Xian Zhang, Ming-Fang Qi & Tian-Lai Li

  3. Key Laboratory of Protected Horticulture of Liaoning Province, No. 120 Dongling Road, Shenhe District, 110866, People’s Republic of China

    Yu-Feng Liu, Guo-Xian Zhang, Ming-Fang Qi & Tian-Lai Li

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  1. Yu-Feng Liu
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Correspondence to Tian-Lai Li.

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Yu-Feng Liu and Guo-Xian Zhang have contributed equally to this work and should be considered co-first authors.

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Liu, YF., Zhang, GX., Qi, MF. et al. Effects of Calcium on Photosynthesis, Antioxidant System, and Chloroplast Ultrastructure in Tomato Leaves Under Low Night Temperature Stress. J Plant Growth Regul 34, 263–273 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-014-9462-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-014-9462-9

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