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Ultraviolet-C mediated physiological and ultrastructural alterations in Juncus effusus L. shoots

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Abstract

Increased ultraviolet radiations intruding on the earth pose a serious threat to the unadapted plants. Due to the ecological and economic significance of mat rush (Juncus effusus L.), an in vitro experiment was conducted to unveil the toxic effects of ultraviolet radiation (UV-C) on its physiology and ultrastructure. The basal culm segments of plant were used for in vitro treatments of UV-C with different exposure times (15, 30 and 45 min). The treated segments were first transferred to 1/2 strength MS media and then shifted to soil-perlite mixture for further growth. With increasing exposure time to UV-C, there was significant reduction in plant growth and biomass, and increased activities of antioxidant enzymes. Physiological and ultrastructural alterations were observed in the shoots of UV-treated plants. These plants exhibited significant reduction in chlorophyll contents and noticeable modifications at the ultra-cellular levels. Cell and chloroplast size reduced greatly, and there was appearance of higher amounts of plastoglobuli in chloroplasts resulting in disruption of thylakoid integrity. The functional and ultrastructural alterations in the stressed plants suggest a potential hazard of UV-C radiation on this aquatic flora and thus the ecosystem. The study further explores that UV-C radiations trigger these modifications mainly by damaging the chloroplast.

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Acknowledgments

This research work was funded by the following organizations: National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (2006AA10A214, 2006AA10Z234), Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation (R307095), Ningbo Youth Doctorate Fund (01J20101-08), Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province (2008C22078), and 111 Project from China Ministry of Education and State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (B06014).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Crop Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310029, China

    Ullah Najeeb, Ling Xu, Zammurad I. Ahmed, Muhammad Rasheed, Muhammad S. Naeem & Weijun Zhou

  2. Crop Sciences Institute, National Agriculture Research Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Ullah Najeeb

  3. Department of Agronomy, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, 46300, Pakistan

    Zammurad I. Ahmed & Muhammad Rasheed

  4. Department of Soil Science, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, 46300, Pakistan

    Ghulam Jilani

  5. The University of Nottingham Ningbo, Ningbo, 315100, China

    Weiqi Shen

Authors
  1. Ullah Najeeb
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  2. Ling Xu
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  3. Zammurad I. Ahmed
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  4. Muhammad Rasheed
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  5. Ghulam Jilani
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  6. Muhammad S. Naeem
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  7. Weiqi Shen
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  8. Weijun Zhou
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Ghulam Jilani or Weijun Zhou.

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Communicated by K. Trebacz.

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Najeeb, U., Xu, L., Ahmed, Z.I. et al. Ultraviolet-C mediated physiological and ultrastructural alterations in Juncus effusus L. shoots. Acta Physiol Plant 33, 481–488 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-010-0570-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-010-0570-2

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