• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.199-204
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• 1999

The effects of temperature stress and paraquat on the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and the photochemical efficiency of photosystem II were studied in the leaves of Araliaceae plants. The SOD activity of Acanthopanax koreanum leaf discs increased at 4$^{\circ}C$ and 28$^{\circ}C$, and increased significantly at 4$^{\circ}C$ ,28$^{\circ}C$ and 35$^{\circ}C$ in the presence of paraquat. However, the SOD activity of Dendropanax morbifera leaf discs decreased at 4$^{\circ}C$, 28$^{\circ}C$ and 35$^{\circ}C$ regardless of paraquat treatment. The photochemical efficiency of photosystem II, Fv/Fm, of leaf discs of A. koreanum and D. morbifera fell remarkably at 35$^{\circ}C$. In the presence of paraquat, the Ev/Fm values fell slightly at 4$^{\circ}C$ in A. koreanum leaf discs and at 35$^{\circ}C$, in D. morbifera leaf discs. These results indicate that A. koreanum plants are more resistant to temperature stress or oxidative stress than D. morbifera plants although their photochemical efficiency falls slightly at 4$^{\circ}C$ in the presence of paraquat.