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Evaluation of cold stress of young industrial chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) plants by chlorophyll a fluorescence imaging. I. Light induction curve

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Photosynthetica

Abstract

Industrial chicory, Cichorium intybus L., is cultivated for the production of inulin. Most varieties of industrial chicory exhibit rather poor early growth, which limits further yield improvements in their European cultivation area. The poor early growth could be due to suboptimum adaptation of the gene pool to growth at low temperatures, sometimes in combination with high light intensities, which is typical of early-spring mornings. We have used chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence to evaluate the response of young plants of the cultivar ‘Hera’ to low temperatures and high light intensities. Plants were grown at three temperatures: 16°C (reference), 8°C (intermediate), and 4°C (cold stress). Light-response measurements were carried out at different light intensities in combination with different measurement temperatures. Parameters that quantify the photosystem II (PSII) operating efficiency (including PSII maximum efficiency and PSII efficiency factor) and nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) are important to evaluate the stress in terms of severity, the photosynthetics processes affected, and acclimation to lower growth temperatures. The results clearly demonstrate that in young industrial chicory plants the photosynthetic system adapts to lower growth temperatures. However, to fully understand the plant response to the stresses studied and to evaluate the long-term effect of the stress applied on the growth dynamics, the subsequent dark relaxation dynamics should also be investigated.

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Abbreviations

ANOVA :

analysis of variance

Chl:

chlorophyll

EC:

electrical conductivity

F0 :

the minimum Chl fluorescence in dark-adapted state

F0′:

the minimum Chl fluorescence in light-adapted state

Fm :

the maximum Chl fluorescence in dark-adapted state

Fm′:

the maximum Chl fluorescence in light-adapted state

Fq′:

the difference between Fm′ and F′ (measured immediately before application of the saturation pulse used to measure Fm′)

Fq′/Fm′:

the operating quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry

Fq′/Fv′:

the PSII efficiency factor

Fv :

the variable (differential) fluorescence in dark-adapted state (Fm − F0)

Fv′:

the variable fluorescence in light-adapted state (Fm′ − F0′)

Fv/Fm :

the maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry in dark-adapted state

Fv′/Fm′:

the maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry in light-adapted state

Fv/(Fm·F0):

the fraction of PSII centers that are capable of photochemistry

GT:

growth temperature

ML:

measurement light intensity

MT:

measurement temperature

NPQ:

nonphotochemical quenching of the Chl fluorescence signal

PAM:

pulse amplitude modulated

PAR:

photosynthetic active radiation

PSII:

photosystem II

qN :

nonphotochemical quenching coefficient of the Chl fluorescence signal

SE:

standard error

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank to Laurent Gevaert, Luc Van Gijseghem and Christian Hendrickx for their help with the measurements and the cultivation and maintenance of the plants. Miriam Levenson is acknowledged for her English language review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Sciences Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Caritasstraat 21, B-9090, Melle, Belgium

    S. Devacht, P. Lootens, J. Baert, J. van Waes, E. van Bockstaele & I. Roldán-Ruiz

  2. Faculty Bioscience Engineering, Department of Plant Production, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000, Ghent, Belgium

    S. Devacht & E. van Bockstaele

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  1. S. Devacht
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  2. P. Lootens
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  3. J. Baert
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  6. I. Roldán-Ruiz
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Correspondence to P. Lootens.

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Devacht, S., Lootens, P., Baert, J. et al. Evaluation of cold stress of young industrial chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) plants by chlorophyll a fluorescence imaging. I. Light induction curve. Photosynthetica 49, 161–171 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-011-0015-1

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