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Plant function and evolutionary biology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Inherent nitrogen deficiency in Pistacia lentiscus preferentially affects photosystem I: a seasonal field study

Constantinos Nikiforou A and Yiannis Manetas A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Patras, Patras GR-26500, Greece.

B Corresponding author. Email: y.manetas@upatras.gr

Functional Plant Biology 38(11) 848-855 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP11040
Submitted: 11 February 2011  Accepted: 26 July 2011   Published: 4 October 2011

Abstract

Although it is widely documented that CO2 assimilation rates are positively correlated with leaf nitrogen, corresponding studies on a link between this nutrient and photosynthetic light reactions are scarce, especially under natural field conditions. In this investigation, we exploited natural variation in the nitrogen content of mature leaves of Pistacia lentiscus L. (mastic tree) in conjunction with fast chlorophyll a fluorescence rise (the OJIP curves) analysed according to the ‘JIP test’, as this was recently modified to allow for the assessment of events in or around PSI. The results depended on the sampling season, with low nitrogen leaves displaying lower efficiencies for electron flow from intermediate carriers to final PSI acceptors, and lower relative pool sizes of these acceptors, both during the autumn and winter. However, parameters related to the PSII) activity (i.e. quantum yields for photon trapping and electron flow along PSII and the efficiency of a trapped exciton to move an electron from the first plastoquoinone electron acceptor of PSII to intermediate carriers) were limited by low nitrogen only during the winter period. As a result, parameters like the quantum yield of total electron flow along both photosystems as well as the total photosynthetic performance index (PItotal) were positively correlated with leaf nitrogen independently of the season. We conclude that nitrogen deficiency under field conditions preferentially affects PSI activity while the effects on PSII are evident only during the stressful period of the year.

Additional keywords: chlorophyll fluorescence, JIP test, mastic tree, photosystem activity, PSI, PSII.


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