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Combined Effects of Lead and Acid Rain on Photosynthesis in Soybean Seedlings

Biological Trace Element Research volume 161, pages 136–142 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

To explore how lead (Pb) and acid rain simultaneously affect plants, the combined effects of Pb and acid rain on the chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence reaction, Hill reaction rate, and Mg2+-ATPase activity in soybean seedlings were investigated. The results indicated that, when soybean seedlings were treated with Pb or acid rain alone, the chlorophyll content, Hill reaction rate, Mg2+-ATPase activity, and maximal photochemical efficiency (F v/F m) were decreased, while the initial fluorescence (F 0) and maximum quantum yield (Y) were increased, compared with those of the control. The combined treatment with Pb and acid rain decreased the chlorophyll content, Hill reaction rate, Mg2+-ATPase activity, F v/F m, and Y and increased F 0 in soybean seedlings. Under the combined treatment with Pb and acid rain, the two factors showed additive effects on the chlorophyll content in soybean seedlings and exhibited antagonistic effects on the Hill reaction rate. Under the combined treatment with high-concentration Pb and acid rain, the two factors exhibited synergistic effects on the Mg2+-ATPase activity, F 0, F v/F m, as well as Y. In summary, the inhibition of the photosynthetic process is an important physiological basis for the simultaneous actions of Pb and acid rain in soybean seedlings.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support of the Natural Science Foundation of China (31170477), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK2011160), and the Research and Innovation Project for Postgraduate of Higher Education Institutions of Jiangsu Province (CXLX13_735).

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Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Huiqing Hu, Lihong Wang, Chenyu Liao, Caixia Fan & Qing Zhou

  2. Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, China

    Xiaohua Huang

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  1. Huiqing Hu
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  2. Lihong Wang
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  3. Chenyu Liao
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  4. Caixia Fan
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  5. Qing Zhou
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  6. Xiaohua Huang
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Correspondence to Qing Zhou or Xiaohua Huang.

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Hu, H., Wang, L., Liao, C. et al. Combined Effects of Lead and Acid Rain on Photosynthesis in Soybean Seedlings. Biol Trace Elem Res 161, 136–142 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-014-0088-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-014-0088-3

Keywords

  • Lead
  • Acid rain
  • Combined effect
  • Photosynthesis
  • Soybean seedlings