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Promotion of 5-aminolevulinic acid treatment on leaf photosynthesis is related with increase of antioxidant enzyme activity in watermelon seedlings grown under shade condition

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

Watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Mansfeld] is a photophilic plant, whose net photosynthetic rate was significantly decreased when seedlings were grown under low light condition. However, treatment with 100 mg kg−1 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) could significantly restore the photosynthetic ability under the environmental stress. The parameters of leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll modulated fluorescence and fast induction fluorescence of the ALA-treated plants were higher than that of the control. Additionally, ALA treatment increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). Nevertheless, the treatment of diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC), an inhibitor of SOD activity, dramatically depressed photosynthesis of watermelon leaves, while ALA could reverse the inhibition of DDC. Therefore, it can be deduced that ALA promotion on photosynthesis of watermelon leaves under low light stress is attributed to its promotion on antioxidant enzyme activities, and the increased activities of the enzymes, which are mainly located near the reaction centers of PSI, can scavenge superoxide anions, leading to an increase of apparent electron transport rate and an alleviation of photosynthetic photoinhibition under the stressed environment.

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Abbreviations

ALA:

5-aminolevulinic acid

APX:

ascorbate peroxidase

C i :

intercellular CO2 concentration

Chl:

chlorophyll

DDC:

diethyldithiocarbamate

E :

transpiration rate

ETR:

electron transport rate

Fm :

maximum fluorescence

Fm′:

maximum fluorescence of the light-adapted leave

Fo :

initial fluorescence

Fv :

variable fluorescence

Fv/Fm :

maximal photochemical effciency of PSII

FM:

fresh mass

Mo :

approximate initial slope of the fluorescence transient

g s :

stomata conductance

JIP test:

formulate a group of fluorescence parameters, which quantify the stepwise flow of energy through PSII

O2 ·− :

superoxide anion radical

OEC:

oxygen evolving complex

OJIP:

chlorophyll a fluorescence transients

P N :

net photosynthetic rate

PIABS :

performance index on a basis of absorption

POD:

peroxidase

PS:

photosystem

QA − :

reduced QA, one electron acceptor bound in PQ

QA 2− :

completely reduced QA

qP :

photochemical quenching

SOD:

superoxide dismutase

Vj :

relative variable fluorescence intensity at the J-step

Wk :

amplitude of the K step

φEo :

quantum yield of electron transport

Ψo :

possibility of a trapped exciton moves an electron into the electron transport chain beyond QA

ΦPSII :

actual photosynthetic efficiency

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Y. -P. Sun, Z. -P. Zhang & L. -J. Wang

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  1. Y. -P. Sun
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  2. Z. -P. Zhang
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  3. L. -J. Wang
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Correspondence to L. -J. Wang.

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Acknowledgements: This research was supported by project of the Natural Science Foundation of China (30471181).

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Sun, Y.P., Zhang, Z.P. & Wang, L.J. Promotion of 5-aminolevulinic acid treatment on leaf photosynthesis is related with increase of antioxidant enzyme activity in watermelon seedlings grown under shade condition. Photosynthetica 47, 347–354 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-009-0055-y

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