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Effect of Differential Light Quality on Morphology, Photosynthesis, and Antioxidant Enzyme Activity in Camptotheca acuminata Seedlings

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation volume 36, pages 148–160 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Light quality is an important environmental factor for plant growth and development. In this study, the effects of light quality (white, blue, yellow, and red light) on plant growth, photosynthesis, and radical oxygen species production and scavenging were investigated, in Camptotheca acuminata (C. acuminata) seedlings, by means of measuring growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, gas exchange, and chlorophyll fluorescence, as well as stomatal structure and density, chloroplast ultrastructure, and ROS contents and antioxidant activities. Compared with white light, red light significantly increased seedling height, shoot, and total plant biomass, and promoted the highest photosynthetic capacity, electron transport, and photochemical efficiency. Red light also helped facilitate leaf development, indicated by higher total and specific leaf area, as well as decreased malondialdehyde content and relative electrolyte conductivity and contents of superoxide anion production rate and peroxide. In contrast, blue and yellow light significantly reduced plant growth, and increased activities of superoxidase dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase. Furthermore, red light promoted chloroplast development, which enhanced photosynthetic efficiency. These results suggest that red light could improve plant growth in C. acuminata seedlings through activating photosynthetic processes, reducing ROS accumulation, and maintaining chloroplast structure.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (LZ12C16001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, 311300, China

    Weiwu Yu, Yang Liu, Lili Song, Yeqing Ying, Qingsong Shao & Jiasheng Wu

  2. School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, 311300, People’s Republic of China

    Weiwu Yu, Yang Liu, Lili Song, Yeqing Ying, Qingsong Shao & Jiasheng Wu

  3. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907-2061, USA

    Douglass F. Jacobs

  4. China National Bamboo Research Center, Hangzhou, 310012, People’s Republic of China

    Xuhua Du

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  1. Weiwu Yu
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  2. Yang Liu
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  3. Lili Song
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Yu, W., Liu, Y., Song, L. et al. Effect of Differential Light Quality on Morphology, Photosynthesis, and Antioxidant Enzyme Activity in Camptotheca acuminata Seedlings. J Plant Growth Regul 36, 148–160 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-016-9625-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-016-9625-y

Keywords

  • Camptotheca acuminata
  • Light quality
  • Photosynthetic characteristics
  • Chlorophyll
  • Antioxidant system
  • Chloroplast ultrastructure