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Limitations of photosynthesis in Phaseolus vulgaris under drought stress: gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and Calvin cycle enzymes

  • Original Papers
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Photosynthetica

Abstract

In this article, the effects of drought stress (DS) on gas exchange, chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence and Calvin cycle enzymes in Phaseolus vulgaris are evaluated. Three-week-old plants were exposed to DS by receiving only so much water every evening to ensure 30% field capacity water content overnight. After three days under these conditions, we observed that DS induced a decline of the CO2 assimilation. Gas-exchange data showed that the closure of stomata during DS did not lead to a concomitant decline in calculated intercellular CO2 concentration. Moreover, DS plants showed a reduction of the photochemical Chl fluorescence quenching, photosystem II quantum yield and electron transport rate and a higher pH gradient and more heat dissipation as compared to controls. The activity of Calvin cycle enzymes, Rubisco, sFBPase, and Ru5PK, decreased strongly in DS plants as compared to controls. Data analysis suggest that the decrease of CO2 assimilation under drought conditions is not related to a diminished capacity of the use of NADPH and ATP but probably to the decline of enzyme activity involved in RuBP regeneration (Ru5PK).

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Abbreviations

Chl:

chlorophyll

DS:

drought stress(ed)

ETR:

electron transport rate

Fm :

maximum fluorescence in the darkadapted state

Fm′:

fluorescence during the saturating pulse in the steady state

Fm″:

(hypothetical) maximum fluorescence in the steady state

Fo′:

minimum fluorescence after switch off the actinic light

Fv :

maximal variable fluorescence

Ft :

variable fluorescence in the stady state

PPFD:

photosynthetic photon flux density

PS:

photosystem

qP :

photochemical quenching

Rubisco:

ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase

RuBP:

ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate

Ru5PK:

ribulose-5-phosphate kinase

sFBPase:

stromal fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase

qE :

fast relaxing non-photochemical quenching

qI :

slowly relaxing nonphotochemical quenching

WUEi :

intrinsic water use efficiency

ΦPSII :

quantum yield of PSII

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810, Aveiro, Portugal

    M. C. Dias

  2. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, J.W. Goethe University, POB 111932, D-60054, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    W. Brüggemann

  3. Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    W. Brüggemann

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  1. M. C. Dias
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  2. W. Brüggemann
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Correspondence to M. C. Dias.

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Dias, M.C., Brüggemann, W. Limitations of photosynthesis in Phaseolus vulgaris under drought stress: gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and Calvin cycle enzymes. Photosynthetica 48, 96–102 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-010-0013-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-010-0013-8

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