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Physiological impacts of magnesium-deficiency in Citrus seedlings: photosynthesis, antioxidant system and carbohydrates

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Abstract

Magnesium (Mg)-deficiency affects productivity and quality in agriculture, yet at a physiological level it is not well understood. Citrus grandis and Citrus sinensis seedlings were irrigated for 12 weeks with 0, 50, 500 or 2,000 μM MgSO4. Thereafter, Mg-deficiency-induced changes in photosynthesis, antioxidant system and carbohydrates were investigated. Mg-deficiency affected CO2 assimilation more in C. grandis leaves than in C. sinensis ones, but Mg-deficiency-induced accumulation of sugars was not higher in the former except for sucrose. Mg-deficiency-induced photoinhibitory impairment occurring on the whole photosynthetic electron transport chain was more severe in C. grandis leaves than in C. sinensis ones. Mg-deficient leaves had higher or similar activities of antioxidant enzymes and contents of antioxidant metabolites except for catalase (CAT) activity and reduced glutathione (GSH) content. However, Mg-deficiency increased leaf malondialdehyde (MDA) content. In conclusion, the greater decrease in CO2 assimilation in Mg-deficient C. grandis leaves may be caused by the greater decrease in the photosynthetic electron transport capacity. Mg-deficiency-induced up-regulation in leaf antioxidant system does not provide enough protection to Mg-deficient leaves against the oxidative damage.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China

    Gang-Hua Yang & Huan-Xin Jiang

  2. Institute of Horticultural Plant Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China

    Gang-Hua Yang, Lin-Tong Yang, Huan-Xin Jiang, Ping Wang & Li-Song Chen

  3. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China

    Yan Li & Li-Song Chen

  4. College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China

    Lin-Tong Yang, Ping Wang & Li-Song Chen

  5. Fujian Key Laboratory for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China

    Li-Song Chen

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  1. Gang-Hua Yang
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  2. Lin-Tong Yang
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  3. Huan-Xin Jiang
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  4. Yan Li
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Correspondence to Li-Song Chen.

Additional information

Communicated by B. Wang.

G.-H. Yang and L.-T. Yang contributed equally as first author.

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Yang, GH., Yang, LT., Jiang, HX. et al. Physiological impacts of magnesium-deficiency in Citrus seedlings: photosynthesis, antioxidant system and carbohydrates. Trees 26, 1237–1250 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-012-0699-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-012-0699-2

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