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Long-term chilling of young tomato plants under low light and subsequent recovery

II. Chlorophyll fluorescence, carbon metabolism and activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase

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Abstract

To identify possible reasons for the persisting impairment of photosynthesis after long-term chilling, young tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants were exposed to 6–10° C for two weeks under low illumination during the daily light period (60–100 μmol quanta · m−2 · s−1). The time courses of leaf carbohydrate contents, phosphorylated intermediates and chlorophyll-fluorescence parameters were followed. While starch formation was impaired during chilling at 6° C, soluble sugar contents increased from the first day onwards and reached up to eightfold the values found in unchilled plants within two weeks. At 8 and 10° C, a less drastic increase in soluble-carbohydrate contents was observed. During chilling, glucose-6-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate accumulated up to 16 mM (assuming they are restricted to the cytoplasm). At the same time, non-photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence had increased and did not return to control values during the first week of recovery. The 3-phosphoglyceric acid/triose phosphate ratio remained nearly unaffected by the chilling treatment, indicating that the assimilatory power of the plants was still high even at the low temperatures. As a consequence of the chilling treatment, ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) activity in the chilled leaves was irreversibly decreased. It is suggested that, in addition to a possible (orthophosphate-mediated) feedback inhibition by internal sugar accumulation, the low activity of Rubisco can play a significant role in the strong decrease of photosynthetic capacity during long-term chilling in tomato.

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Abbreviations

Chl:

chlorophyll

Fm :

maximal Chl fluorescence

Fv :

variable Chl fluorescence

PGA:

3-phosphoglycerate

qN :

non-photochemical quenching of Chl fluorescence

qP :

photochemical quenching of Chl fluorescence

Rubisco:

ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase

TP:

triose phosphate

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Author notes

  1. Wolfgang Brüggemann

    Present address: Botanisches Institut III, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Universitätsstrasse 1, 1, Düsseldorf, Federal Republic of Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Plant Physiology, University of Groningen, POB 14, NL-9750, AA Haren, The Netherlands

    Wolfgang Brüggemann, Thomas A. W. van der Kooij & Philip R. van Hasselt

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  1. Wolfgang Brüggemann
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  2. Thomas A. W. van der Kooij
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  3. Philip R. van Hasselt
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This research is financially supported by the Netherlands Technology Foundation (STW, Utrecht, The Netherlands), and is coordinated by the Foundation for Biological Research (BION, s'Gravenhage, The Netherlands).

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Brüggemann, W., van der Kooij, T.A.W. & van Hasselt, P.R. Long-term chilling of young tomato plants under low light and subsequent recovery. Planta 186, 179–187 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196247

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