Abstract
Acid rain is considered one of the most serious plant abiotic stresses. Photosynthesis is the basis of crop growth and development. The effect of acid rain on barley photosynthesis remains unclear. A glasshouse experiment was conducted, and the photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence, and pigment content of barley were measured in simulated acid rain (SAR) under pH 6.5, 5.5, 4.5, and 3.5. The results showed that net photosynthetic rate, maximal photosynthetic rate, and light saturation point decreased and the light compensation point, and dark respiration rate increased with increasing acidity. The results suggested that photosynthesis in barley plants was inhibited by SAR stress. The Chl content and stomatal conductance declined in parallel with the reduced net photosynthetic rate when barley plants were under SAR stress conditions. This indicated that non-stomatal factors may contribute to reduced photosynthesis under acid rain stress. Acid rain had greater effects on the photosynthesis of the acid rain-sensitive plant Zhepi 33 than on non-sensitive Kunlun 12. A significant difference in parameters such as the maximal fluorescence, variable fluorescence, and active PSII reaction centers was found among the SAR treatments and may be used to evaluate the sensitivity of plants to acid rain stress. The visualization model showed that the photosynthetic reaction centers were inactivated in acid rain stressed barley plants. These findings are valuable for the evaluation of the plant sensitivity to acid rain stress and may be used for the detection and monitoring of acid rain effects on plants in the future.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.Data availability
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.
References
Arnon DI (1949) Copper enzymes in isolated chloroplasts. Polyphenoloxidase in Beta vulgaris. Plant Physiol 24:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.24.1.1
Baker NR (2018) Chlorophyll fluorescence: a probe of photosynthesis in vivo. Annu Rev Plant Biol 59:89–113. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.arplant.59.032607.092759
Boureima S, Oukarroum A, Diouf M, Cisse N, Van Damme P (2012) Screening for drought tolerance in mutant germplasm of sesame (Sesamum indicum) probing by chlorophyll a fluorescence. Environ Exp Bot 81:37–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2012.02.015
Castro FA, Campostrini E, Torres Netto A, Viana LH (2011) Relationship between photochemical efficiency (JIP-Test Parameters) and portable chlorophyll meter readings in papaya plants. Braz J Plant Physiol 23:295–304. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1677-04202011000400007
Cordon G, Lagorio MG, Paruelo JM (2016) Chlorophyll fluorescence, photochemical reflective index and normalized difference vegetative index during plant senescence. J Plant Physiol 99:100–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2016.05.010
Debnath B, Ahammed GJ (2020) Effect of acid rain on plant growth and development: physiological and molecular interventions. In: Naeem M, Ansari A, Gill S (eds) Contaminants in Agriculture. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41552-5
Debnath B, Hussain M, Irshad M, Mitra S, Li M, Liu S, Qiu D (2018) Exogenous melatonin mitigates acid rain stress to tomato plants through modulation of leaf ultrastructure, photosynthesis and antioxidant potential. Molecules 23:388. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23020388
Debnath B, Irshad M, Mitra S, Li M, Rizwan HM, Liu S, Pan T, Qiu D (2018) Acid rain deposition modulates photosynthesis, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities in tomato. Int J Environ Res 12:203–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41742-018-0084-0
Debnath B, Li M, Liu S, Pan T, Ma C, Qiu D (2020) Melatonin-mediate acid rain stress tolerance mechanism through alteration of transcriptional factors and secondary metabolites gene expression in tomato. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 200:110720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110720
Ding F, Wang R, Wang TF (2018) Enhancement of germination, seedling growth, and oxidative metabolism of barley under simulated acid rain stress by exogenous trehalose. Crop Sci 58:783–791. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2017.08.0491
Dong D, Du E, Sun Z, Zeng X, de Vries W (2017) Non-linear direct effects of acid rain on leaf photosynthetic rate of terrestrial plants. Environ Pollut 231:1442–1445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.09.005
Giraldo P, Benavente E, Manzano-Agugliaro F, Gimenez E (2019) Worldwide research trends on wheat and barley: A bibliometric comparative analysis. Agronomy 9:352. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9070352
Hassannejad S, Lotfi R, Ghafarbi SP, Oukarroum A, Abbasi A, Kalaji HM, Rastogi A (2020) Early identification of herbicide modes of action by the use of chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. Plants 9:529. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9040529
Hillier W, Babcock GT (2001) Photosynthetic reaction centers. Plant Physiol 125:33–37. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.125.1.33
Hu HQ, Wang LH, Liao CY, Fan CX, Zhou Q, Huang XH (2014) Combined effects of lead and acid rain on photosynthesis in soybean seedlings. Biol Trace Elem Res 161:136–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-014-0088-3
Hu HQ, Wang LH, Zhou Q, Huang XH (2016) Combined effects of simulated acid rain and lanthanum chloride on chloroplast structure and functional elements in rice. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23:8902–8916. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5962-9
Iqbal RM, Rao AR, Rasul E, Wahid A (1997) Mathematical models and response functions in photosynthesis: an exponential model. In: Pessarakli M (ed) Handbook of Photosynthesis. Marcel Dekker Inc., New York
Ivanov DA, Bernards MA (2016) Chlorophyll fluorescence imaging as a tool to monitor the progress of a root pathogen in a perennial plant. Planta 243:263–279. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-015-2427-9
Kalaji HM, Bąba W, Gediga K, Goltsev V, Samborska IA, Cetner MD, Dimitrova S, Piszcz U, Bielecki K, Karmowska K, Dankov K, Kompała-Bąba A (2018) Chlorophyll fluorescence as a tool for nutrient status identification in rapeseed plants. Photosynth Res 136:329–343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-017-0467-7
Kalaji HM, Jajoo A, Oukarroum A, Brestic M, Zivcak M, Samborska IA, Cetner MD, Łukasik I, Goltsev V, Ladle RJ (2016) Chlorophyll a fluorescence as a tool to monitor physiological status of plants under abiotic stress conditions. Acta Physiol Plant 38:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-016-2113-y
Kumari P, Tomar YS (2009) Effect of simulated acid rain on chlorophyll and ascorbic acid contents of Mentha piperita L. (Peppermint). Agric Sci Dig 29:1–6
Li YY, Pan TF, Yu D, Qiu DL (2012) Effects of simulated acid rain stress on the PSII reaction center and free radical metabolism in leaves of longan. Acta Ecol Sin 32:7866–7873. https://doi.org/10.5846/stxb201203080315
Liu TW, Wu FH, Wang WH, Chen J, Li ZJ, Dong XJ, Patton J, Pei ZM, Zheng HL (2011) Effects of calcium on seed germination, seedling growth and photosynthesis of six forest tree species under simulated acid rain. Tree Physiol 31:402–413. https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpr019
Liu MH, Yi LT, Yu SQ, Yu F, Yin XM (2015) Chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics and the growth response of Elaeocarpus glabripetalus to simulated acid rain. Photosynthetica 53:23–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-015-0071-z
Long SP, Zhu XG, Naidu SL, Ort DR (2006) Can improvement in photosynthesis increase crop yields? Plant Cell Environ 29:315–330. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2005.01493.x
Lu T, Yu HJ, Li Q, Chai L, Jiang WJ (2019) Improving plant growth and alleviating photosynthetic inhibition and oxidative stress from low-light stress with exogenous GR24 in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedlings. Front. Plant Sci 10:490. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.00490
Lu CM, Zhang JH, Zhang QD, Li LB, Kuang TY (2001) Modification of photosystem II photochemistry in nitrogen deficient maize and wheat plants. J Plant Physiol 158:1423–1430. https://doi.org/10.1078/0176-1617-00501
Maxwell K, Johnson GN (2000) Chlorophyll fluorescence-a practical guide. J Exp Bot 51:659–668. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/51.345.659
Melo HF, Souza ER, Cunha JC (2017) Fluorescence of chlorophyll a and photosynthetic pigments in Atriplex nummularia under abiotic stresses. Rev Bras de Eng Agricola e Ambient 21:232–237. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-1929/agriambi.v21n4p232-237
Mena-Petite A, Begoña GM, Gonzalez-Murua C, Lacuesta M, Muñoz-Rueda A (2000) Sequential effects of acidic precipitation and drought on photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of Pinus radiata D Don seedlings. J Plant Physiol 156:84–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0176-1617(00)80276-X
Mersie W, Foy CL (1986) Effects of acidity of simulated rain and its influence on the phytotoxicity of chlorsulfuron on velvetleaf and barley. Environ Exp Bot 26:341–347. https://doi.org/10.1016/0098-8472(86)90021-3
Neves NR, Oliva MA, da Cruz CD, Costa AC, Ribas RF, Pereira EG (2009) Photosynthesis and oxidative stress in the restinga plant species Eugenia uniflora L. exposed to simulated acid rain and iron ore dust deposition: potential use in environmental risk assessment. Sci Total Environ 407:3740–3745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2009.02.035
Pérez-Bueno ML, Pineda M, Barón M (2019) Phenotyping plant responses to biotic stress by chlorophyll fluorescence imaging. Front Plant Sci 10:1135. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.01135
Qiu DL, Liu XH, Guo SZ (2001) Effects of simulated acid rain on longan photosynthesis. Acta Hortic 558:301–304. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.558.49
Roberts BR (1990) Physiological response of yellow-poplar seedlings to simulated acid rain, ozone fumigation, and drought. Forest Ecol Manag 31:215–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-1127(90)90069-N
Santamaría JM, Hernández-Portilla D, Chi-Manzanero B, Espadas F, Castaño E, Iturriaga G, Rodríguez-Zapata LC (2009) Incorporation of two trehalose biosynthetic genes in banana increases trehalose levels and protects the photosynthetic apparatus from salt-stress damage. J Hortic Sci Biotechnol 84:665–671. https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2009.11512583
Sensor M, Kloos M, Lütz C (1990) Influence of soil substrate and ozone plus acid mist on the pigment content and composition of needles from young Norway spruce trees. Environ Pollut 64:295–314. https://doi.org/10.1016/0269-7491(90)90052-E
Sharma A, Kumar V, Shahzad B, Ramakrishnan M, Sidhu GPS, Bali AS, Handa N, Kapoor D, Yadav P, Khanna K, Bakshi P, Rehman A, Kohli SK, Khan EA, Parihar RD, Yuan HW, Thukral AK, Bhardwaj R, Zheng BS (2020) Photosynthetic response of plants under different abiotic stresses: a review. J Plant Growth Regul 39:509–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-019-10018-x
Šiffel P, Braunová Z, Šindelková E, Cudlin P (1996) The effect of simulated acid rain on chlorophyll fluorescence spectra of spruce seedlings (Picea abies L. Karst.). J Plant Physiol 148:271–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0176-1617(96)80253-7
Singh B, Agrawal M (2004) Impact of simulated acid rain on growth and yield of two cultivars of wheat. Water Air Soil Pollut 152:71–80. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:WATE.0000015331.02874.df
Stirbet A, Lazár D, Kromdijk J, Govindjee (2018) Chlorophyll a fluorescence induction: can just a one-second measurement be used to quantify abiotic stress responses? Photosynthetica 56:86–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-018-0770-3
Strasser RJ, Srivastava A, Tsimilli-Michael M (2000) The fluorescence transient as a tool to characterize and screen photosynthetic samples. In: Yunus M, Pathre U, Mohanty P (eds) Probing photosynthesis: mechanism, regulation and adaptation. Taylor and Francis, London
Strasser RJ, Tsimilli-Michael M, Srivastava A (2004) Analysis of the chlorophyll a fluorescence transient. In: Papageorgiou GC, Govindjee (eds) Chlorophyll a fluorescence. Advances in photosynthesis and respiration. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3218-9_12
Sun JW, Hu HQ, Li YL, Wang LH, Zhou Q, Huang XH (2016) Effects and mechanism of acid rain on plant chloroplast ATP synthase. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 23:18296–18306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7016-3
Tsimilli-Michael M, Strasser R (2008) In vivo assessment of stress Impact on plant’s vitality: applications in detecting and evaluating the beneficial role of mycorrhization on host plants. In: Varma A (ed) Mycorrhiza. Springer, Berlin. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-78826-3_32
Tsonev T, Velikova V, Yildiz-Aktas L, Gürel A, Edreva A (2011) Effect of water deficit and potassium fertilization on photosynthetic activity in cotton plants. Plant Biosyst 145:841–847. https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2011.560199
Velikova V, Tsonev T, Yordanov I (1999) Light and CO2 responses of photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics in bean plants after simulated acid rain. Physiol Plant 107:77–83. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1399-3054.1999.100111.x
Vicas SI, Grosu E, Laslo V (2009) The effects of simulated acid rain on growth and biochemistry process in grass (Lolium perenne). Lucrări Ştiinţifice 52:277–283
Wang T, Yang WH, Xie YF, Shi DW, Ma YL, Sun X (2017) Effects of exogenous nitric oxide on the photosynthetic characteristics of bamboo (Indocalamus barbatus McClure) seedlings under acid rain stress. Plant Growth Regul 82:69–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-016-0239-y
Wang YJ, Zhang XL, Hu YB, Teng ZY, Zhang SB, Chi Q, Sun GY (2019) Phenotypic response of tobacco leaves to simulated acid rain and its impact on photosynthesis. Int J Agric Biol 21:391–398. https://doi.org/10.17957/IJAB/15.0000
Yu HL, He NP, Wang QF, Zhu JX, Gao Y, Zhang YH, Jia YL, Yu GR (2017) Development of atmospheric acid deposition in China from the 1990s to the 2010s. Environ Pollut 231:182–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.08.014
Yu JQ, Ye S, Huang L (2002) Effects of simulated acid precipitation on photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence, and antioxidative enzymes in Cucumis sativus L. Photosynthetica 40:331–335. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022658504882
Zhu XG, Song QF, Ort DR (2012) Elements of a dynamic systems model of canopy photosynthesis. Curr Opin Plant Biol 15:237–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2012.01.010
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.
Funding
This research was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, grant number 2018YFD0200507.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
HH and AS conceived and planned the experiments. HH, WH, HZ, LS, WL, and GZ carried out the experiments. HH and AS analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Ethics approval
Not applicable.
Consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Gangrong Shi
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hu, H., Hua, W., Shen, A. et al. Photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll fluorescence of barley exposed to simulated acid rain. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 42776–42786 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13807-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13807-8