The effect of CaCl2 on calcium content, photosynthesis, and chlorophyll fluorescence of tung tree seedlings under drought conditions

• Published in: Photosynthetica Vol. 55; no. 3; pp. 553 - 560
• Main Authors: Li, Z., Tan, X. F., Lu, K., Liu, Z. M., Wu, L. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Praha The Institute of Experimental Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences 01.09.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Calcium; Chlorophyll; Conductance; Distilled water; Drought; Electron transport; Fluorescence; Irrigation; Life Sciences; Moisture content; Original Paper; Oxygenase; Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase; Photochemistry; Photosynthesis; Photosystem II; Plant Physiology; Resistance; Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate; Runoff; Seedlings; Soil water; Stomata; Stresses; Transpiration; Water content; water stress; gas exchange; calcium chloride
• ISSN: 0300-3604; 1573-9058
• DOI: 10.1007/s11099-016-0676-x

The study investigated the effects of different CaCl 2 concentrations (2, 5, and 10 mM) on photosynthetic enzymatic activities, photosynthesis, and chlorophyll fluorescence of tung tree seedlings under drought conditions. Plants were sprayed with either CaCl 2 or distilled water until run-off. Irrigation was then withheld to induce drought stress. The strength of drought stress was evaluated by relative leaf water content and soil water content, which was 27.3 and 9.5% on day 0 and day 12, respectively. Drought stress decreased activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase and phospho enol pyruvate carboxylase, chlorophyll ( a+b ) content, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, electron transport rate, the maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry, and effective quantum yield of PSII in tung tree seedlings. The CaCl 2 pretreatments alleviated the negative effect of drought stress to some degree on all the parameters mentioned above.