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Combined effects of water stress and high temperature on photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism and lipid peroxidation of a perennial grass Leymus chinensis

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Abstract

Drought and high-temperature stresses have been extensively studied; however, little is known about their combined impact on plants. In the present study, we determined the photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, nitrogen level, and lipid peroxidation of the leaves of a perennial grass (Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel.) subjected to three constant temperatures (23, 29 and 32°C), and five soil-moisture levels (75–80%, 60–65%, 50–55%, 35–40% and 25–30% of field capacity, respectively). High temperature significantly decreased plant biomass, leaf green area, leaf water potential, photosynthetic rate (A), maximal efficiency of PSII photochemistry (F v/F m), actual PSII efficiency (ΦPSII), the activities of nitrate reductase (NR; EC 1.6.6.1) and glutamine synthetase (GS; EC 6.3.1.2), but markedly increased the ratio of leaf area to leaf weight (SLA), endopeptidase (EP; EC 3.4.24.11) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, especially under severe water stress conditions. The A and F v/F m were significantly and positively correlated with leaf-soluble protein content, and the activities of NR and GS. However, both photosynthesis parameters were significantly and negatively correlated with EP activity and MDA content (P < 0.05). It is suggested that high temperature, combined with severe soil drought, might reduce the function of PSII, weaken nitrogen anabolism, strengthen protein catabolism, and provoke lipid peroxidation. The results also indicate that severe water stress might exacerbate the adverse effects of high temperature, and their combination might reduce the plant productivity and distribution range of L. chinensis in the future.

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Abbreviations

EP:

Endopeptidase

FAA:

Free amino acid

FC:

Soil water content at field capacity

Fv/Fm:

Maximal efficiency of PSII photochemistry

GS:

Glutamine synthetase

g s :

Stomatal conductance

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

NR:

Nitrate reductase

ΦPSII :

Actual PSII efficiency

PSII:

Photosystem II

SRWC:

Soil relative water content

SLA:

Specific leaf area

ψleaf :

Leaf water potential

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by the Key Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KSCX2-SW-133) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40231018; 30470338). We thank Bai Li-Ping, Chi Hong-Kang, Jia Bing-Rui, Jiang Yan-Ling, Song Jian, Wang Feng-Yu, Wang Yu-Hui, and Yuan Wen-Ping for their useful help during the experiment. The authors also thank the reviewers for their constructive comments and detailed corrections.

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  1. Laboratory of Quantitative Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, People’s Republic of China

    Zhen Zhu Xu & Guang Sheng Zhou

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  1. Zhen Zhu Xu
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  2. Guang Sheng Zhou
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Correspondence to Guang Sheng Zhou.

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Xu, Z.Z., Zhou, G.S. Combined effects of water stress and high temperature on photosynthesis, nitrogen metabolism and lipid peroxidation of a perennial grass Leymus chinensis . Planta 224, 1080–1090 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-006-0281-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-006-0281-5

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