• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1591-1600
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• 2015

The response of the freshwater microalga, Chlorella vulgaris, to heavy metal stress was examined based on chlorophyll fluorescence analysis to assess the toxic effects of heavy metals in freshwater ecosystems. When toxic effects were analyzed using regular chlorophyll fluorescence analysis, photosystem II activity($F_v/F_m$) decreased significantly when exposed to $Cu^{2+}$ and $Hg^{2+}$ for 12 h, and decreased in the order of $Hg^{2+}>Cu^{2+}>Cd^{2+}>Ni^{2+}$ when exposed for 24h. The effective photochemical quantum yield(${\phi}{\prime}_{PSII}$), chlorophyll fluorescence decrease ratio($R_{Fd}$), minimal fluorescence yield($F_o$), and non-photochemical quenching(NPQ), but not photochemical quenching(qP), responded sensitively to $Hg^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, and $Cd^{2+}$. These results suggest that $F_v/F_m$, as well as ${\phi}{\prime}_{PSII}$, $R_{Fd}$, $F_o$, and NPQ could be used to assess the effects of heavy metal ions in freshwater ecosystems. However, because many types of heavy metal ions and toxic compounds co-occur under natural conditions, it is difficult to assess heavy metal toxicity in freshwater ecosystems. When Chlorella was exposed to heavy metal ions for 12 or 24h, $F_v/F_m$ and maximal fluorescence yield($F_m$) changed in response to $Hg^{2+}$ and $Cu^{2+}$ based on image analysis. However, assessing quantitatively the toxic effects of several heavy metal ions is challenging.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 1998

Changes of chlorophyll fluorescence and xanthophyll cycle pigment contents in maize leaves were investigated dunng desiccation in darkness or in the light. In darkness, a drastic dehydration of detached maize leaves down to 50% relative water content (RWC) affected photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and pht)tochemical quenching (qP) only slightly. In contrast, desiccation in the light with a moderate intensity led to a pronounced reduction in Fv/Fm with a Fo quenching when RWC was greater than 70%. This reduction in Fv/Fm could be recovered in darkness under hutrod condition. In leaves with RWC below 70%, significant reduction in Fv/Fm was accompanied by an increase of Fo, which could not be reversed within 5 h in darkness under humid condition. The nonphotochemical quenching increased during desiccation in the light with a concomitant rise in zeaxanthin at the expense of violaxanthin. Pretreatment with dithiothreitol (DTT), an inhibitor of zeaxanthin synthesis, inhibited the development of nonphotochemical quenching and prevented the xanthophyll interconversion during desiccation in the light. These results suggest that even light with a moderate intensity becomes excessive under dehydration and zeaxanthin-associated photoprotection of photosynthetic apparatus against photodamage is involved, but the protection is not complete against severe desiccation.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2005

Plants possess the ability to dissipate the excitation energy for the protection of photosynthetic apparatus from absorbed excess light. Heat dissipation is regulated by xanthophyll cycle in thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts. We investigated the mechanistic aspects of xanthophyll cycle-dependent photoprotection against low-temperature photoinhibition in plants. Using barley and rice as chilling-resistant species and sensitive ones, respectively, chilling-induced chlorophyll fluorescence quenching, composition of xanthophyll cycle pigments and mRNA expression of the zeaxanthin epoxidase were examined. Chilled barley plants exhibited little changes in chlorophyll fluorescence quenching either of photochemical or non-photochemical nature and in the photosynthetic electron transport, indicating low reduction state of PS II primary electron acceptor. In contrast to the barley, chilled rice showed a marked decline in those parameters mentioned above, indicating the increased reduction state of PS II primary electron acceptor. In addition, barley plants were shown to have a higher capacity to elevate the pool size of xanthophyll cycle pigments in response to cold stress compared to rice plants. Such species-dependent regulation of xanthophyll cycle activity was correlated with the gene expression level of cold-induced zeaxanthin epoxidase. Chilled rice plants depressed the gene expression of zeaxanthin epoxidase, whereas barley increased its expression in response to cold stress. We suggest that chilling-induced alterations in the pool size of xanthophyll cycle pigments related to its capacity would play an important role in regulating plant's sensitivity to chilling stress.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.304-309
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• 1982

The fluorescence yields of chl-a and-b complexes bound to silicon dimer, tetramer and hexamer containing pyridine group in diethyl ether solvent, were shown the transition of excited energy through silicon polymer chain, and the maximum energy quenching were appeared at 1 : 1 ratio of chl-a and pyridine group in silicon polymer but the chl-b complexes were shown the maximum energy of fluorescene emission at the same ratio.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 1992

The inhibitory effects of mercury ions on the growth of barley seedlings were studied and the distribution of metal elements in the organs of treated plants was investigated by using synchrotron radiation induced X-ray emission (SRIXE). Although the treatment of mercury ions caused growth inhibition, the mercury-specific increase in variable fluorescence and the abolishment of energy-dependent quenching in broken barley chloroplasts as shown by Moon et at. (1992) were not observed in the leaves of growth-inhibited seedlings. Instead the treatment of mercury decreased Fmax and Fo values. However, Fmax/Fo ratio and photochemical and nonphotochemical quenching coefficients were not affected significantly. By SRIXE analysis of $10\mu\textrm{m}$ mercury chloride treated seedlings, accumulation of mercury in roots was observed after 1 hour of treatment and similar concentration was sustained for 48 hours. Relative contents of mercury was high in roots and underground nodes where seeds were attachedl but was very low in leaves. Iron and zinc were also distributed mainly in the lower parts of the seedlings. However after 72 hours of treatment the contents of these metals in roots decreased and their distribution became more uniform, which may lead to death of the plants. These results suggest that the observed inhibitory effects on barley seedlings upto 48 hours after the treatment is not due to direct damages in the photosynthetic apparatus, but due to its accumulation in roots and the consequent retardation of the growth of barley seedlings. The decrease in Fmax and Fo is probably due to the decrease in chlorophyll and protein contents caused by the retardation of growth. The observed slow expansion of primary leaves could be also explained by the retardation of growth, but the fluorescence induction pattern from the leaves did not show characteristic symptoms of leaves under water stress.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.320-330
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• 2012

This study was conducted to investigate the changes of chlorophyll contents, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosynthetic parameters, and leaf growth of Synurus deltoides under different shading treatments. S. deltoides was grown under non-treated (full sunlight) and three different shading conditions (Shaded 88~93%, 65~75%, and 45%~55%). Light compensation point ($L_{comp}$), dark respiration ($D_{resp}$), maximum photosynthesis rate ($Pn_{max}$), photo respiration rate ($P_{resp}$), carboxylation efficiency ($\Phi_{carb}$), and photochemical efficiency were decreased with increasing shading level; However, $CO_2$ compensation point ($CO_{2\;comp}$), total chlorophyll content, and specific leaf area (SLA) were shown the opposite trend. S. deltoides under 88~93% treatment showed the lowest photosynthetic activity such as maximum photosynthetic rate ($Pn_{max}$), photochemical efficiency, and $CO_2$ compensation point ($CO_{2\;comp}$). Therefore, photosynthetic activity will be sharply decreased with a long period of 8~12% of full sunlight. With the shading level decreased, carotenoid content and non-photochemical fluorescence quenching (NPQ) increased to prevent excessive light damage. This result suggested that growth and physiology of S. deltoides adapted to high light intensity through regulating its internal mechanism.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.300-310
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• 2016

Pathogen infection in plants induces complex responses ranging from gene expression to metabolic processes in infected plants. In spite of many studies on biotic stress-related changes in host plants, little is known about the metabolic and phenotypic responses of the host plants to Pseudomonas cichorii infection based on image-based analysis. To investigate alterations in tomato plants according to disease severity, we inoculated plants with different cell densities of P. cichorii using dipping and syringe infiltration methods. High-dose inocula (${\geq}10^6cfu/ml$) induced evident necrotic lesions within one day that corresponded to bacterial growth in the infected tissues. Among the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters analyzed, changes in quantum yield of PSII (${\Phi}PSII$) and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) preceded the appearance of visible symptoms, but maximum quantum efficiency of PSII ($F_v/F_m$) was altered well after symptom development. Visible/near infrared and chlorophyll fluorescence hyperspectral images detected changes before symptom appearance at low-density inoculation. The results of this study indicate that the P. cichorii infection severity can be detected by chlorophyll fluorescence assay and hyperspectral images prior to the onset of visible symptoms, indicating the feasibility of early detection of diseases. However, to detect disease development by hyperspectral imaging, more detailed protocols and analyses are necessary. Taken together, change in chlorophyll fluorescence is a good parameter for early detection of P. cichorii infection in tomato plants. In addition, image-based visualization of infection severity before visual damage appearance will contribute to effective management of plant diseases.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.239-245
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• 2007

The effect of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation on photosynthesis was studied by the simultaneous measurements of $O_2$ evolution and chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence in tobacco leaves. When the tobacco leaves were teated with UV-B (1 $W{\cdot}m^{-2}$), the maximal photosynthetic $O_2$, evolution (Pmax; 4.60 ${\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$) at 200 ${\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$) was decreased with increasing time of UV-B treatment showing 80% decline after 4 h treatment. Chl fluorescence parameters were also affected by ultraviolet-B. Fo was increased while both Fm and Fv were decreased, resulted in the decreased of photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm). Non-radiative dissipation of absorbed light as heat as estimated as NPQ (Fm/Fm' - 1) was also decreased with increasing time of UV-B treatment while the extent of photochemical quenching (qP) was not changed. Thus, the ratio of (1-qP)/NPQ parameter was also increased with increasing time of UV-B treatment indicating PSII is under the threat of photoinhibition. The result indicate that UV-B primarily decreases the capacity to dissipate excitation energy by trans-thylakoid pH, which in turn inhibits PSII activity.

• Journal of Photoscience
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.53-61
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• 1998

Using a squash plant, a chilling-sensitive species, and a spinach plant, a chilling-resistant one, effects of chilling temperature on the photosynthetic machinery were studied in terms of chlorophyll fluorescence. When thylakoid membranes were isolated and subjected to incubation at different temperatures, spinach showed stable photosystem II activity at the low temperature side, in contrast to squash which showed quite severe inactivation at low temperature. When parameters of chlorophyll fluorescence were examined, chilling in darkness did not affect either Fv/Fm or photochemical and non-photochemical quenching, in both types of plants. However, chilling of squash plants under irradiance of medium intensity caused a specific decrease in Fv/Fm accompanied by a decline in energy-dependent quenching. Contrastingly, photosystem li of spinach plants were not much affected by light-chilling. When the pool size of zeaxanthin was examined after exposure to high light at different temperatures, squash plants was shown to have a much lower content of antheraxanthin + zeaxanthin, as compared to spinach plants, during low-temperature photoinhibition. These results suggest that chilling-sensitive plants have low capacity to dissipate excitation energy nonradiatively, when they are exposed to low-temperature photoinhibition, and, as a consequence, more vulnerable to photoinhibitory, damage to the photosynthetic apparatus.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.195-201
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• 1993

The room temperature fluorescence induction of chloroplasts was utilized as a probe to locate the site of inhibition by mercury, copper and zinc on PS II by mercury. Inhibitory effect of Hg2+ on electron transport activity was notable as compared with Cu2+ and Zn2+. At concentrations of HgCl2 over 50 $\mu$M, activities of PS II and whole-chain electron transport decreased more than 70%, while that of PS I decreased about 10~30%. This suggests that PS II is more susceptible to Hg2+ than PS I is. In the presence of diphenylcarbazide (DPC), 50 $\mu$M HgCl2 inhibited the reduction of dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP) about 50%. Addition of heavy metals induced marked decrease in maximal variable fluorescence/initial fluorescence [(Fv)m/Fo], but no changes in Fo. With various concentrations of heavy metals, changes of chlorophyll a fluorescence emitted by PS II showed gradual decrease in photochemical quenching (qQ), which indicates an increase in reduced state of electron acceptor, QA. Especially, the addition of HgCl2 caused a notable decrease of qQ. In the presence of 50 $\mu$M CuCl2, energy-depended quenching (qE) was completely reduced, whereas in the presence of 50 $\mu$M CuCl2 and ZnCl2 it was still remained. The above results are discussed on the effects of mercury in relation to water-splitting system and plastoquinone (PQ) shuttle system.