• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2005

Analysis of chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence implicated treatment of 40 mM NaCl decreased maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) (Fv/Fm), actual quantum yield of PSII (${\Phi}_{PSII}$), and photochemical quenching (qP) in rice, but increased non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). Decreases in Fv/Fm, ${\Phi}_{PSII}$, and qP were significantly alleviated by $30\;{\mu}M$ jasmonic acid (JA), while NPQ increase was enhanced. Transcription levels of antioxidant isoenzyme genes were differentially modulated by NaCl treatment. Expression of cCuZn-SOD2 gene increased, while those of cAPXb, CATb, and CATc genes decreased. JA prevented salt-induced decrease of pCuZn-SOD gene expression, but caused greater decrease in mRNA levels of cAPXa and Chl_tAPX genes. Investigation of vacuolar $Na^+/H^+$ exchanger (NHX2) and 1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase (P5CS) gene expressions revealed transcription level of NHX2 gene was increased by JA, regardless of NaCl presence, while that of P5CS gene slightly increased only in co-presence of JA and NaCl. Unlike JA, ${\gamma}$-radiation rarely affected expressions of antioxidant isoenzyme, NHX2, and P5CS genes, except for increase in mRNA level of Chl_tAPX and decrease in that of pCuZn-SOD. These results demonstrate enhanced salt-tolerance in JA-treated rice seedlings may be partly due to high transcription levels of pCuZn-SOD, NHX2, and P5CS genes under salt stress.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1435-1447
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• 2012

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of hexaconazole (HEX), a triazole fungicide, on the growth, yield, photosynthetic response and antioxidant potential in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants subjected to UV-B stress. UV-B radiation and HEX were applied separately or in combination to cucumber seedlings. The growth parameters were significantly reduced under UV-B treatment, however, this growth inhibition was less in HEX treated plants. HEX caused noticeable changes in plant morphology such as reduced shoot length and leaf area, and increased leaf thickness. HEX was quite persistent in inhibiting shoot growth by causing a reduction in shoot fresh and dry weight. HEX noticeably recovered the UV-B induced inhibition of biomass production. Significant accumutation in anthocyanin and flavonoid pigments in the leaves occurred as a result of HEX or UV-B treatments. HEX permitted the survival of more green leaf tissue preventing chlorophyll content reduction and higher quantum yield for photosystemII under UV-B exposure. HEX treatment induced a transient rise in ABA levels in the leaves, and combined application of HEX and UV-B showed a significant enhancement of ABA content which activates $H_2O_2$ generation. UV-B exposure induced accumulation of $H_2O_2$ in the leaves, while HEX prevented UV-B induced increase in $H_2O_2$, indicating that HEX serves as an antioxidant agent able to scavenge $H_2O$ to protect cells from oxidative damage. An increase in the ascorbic acid was observed in the HEX treated cucumber leaves affecting many enzyme activities by removing $H_2O_2$ during photosynthetic processes. The activities of antioxidant enzymes including catalase(CAT), ascorbate peroxidase(APX), superoxide dismutase(SOD) and peroxidase(POD) in the leaves in the presence of HEX under UV-B stress were higher than those under UV-B stress alone. These findings suggest that HEX may participate in the enhanced tolerance to oxidative stress. From these results it can be concluded that HEX moderately ameliolate the effect of UV-B stress in cucumber by improving the components of antioxidant defense system.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.705-715
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• 2013

The response of the freshwater microalga Chlorella vulgaris to mercuric ion ($Hg^{2+}$) stress was examined using chlorophyll a fluorescence image analysis and O-J-I-P analysis as a way to monitor the toxic effects of mercury on water ecosystems. The levels of photosynthetic pigments, such as chlorophyll a and b and carotenoids, decreased with increasing $Hg^{2+}$ concentration. The maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II(Fv/Fm) changed remarkably with increasing $Hg^{2+}$ concentration and treatment time. In particular, above $200{\mu}M\;Hg^{2+}$, considerable mercury toxicity was seen within 2 h. The chlorophyll a fluorescence transient O-J-I-P was also remarkably affected by $Hg^{2+}$; the fluorescence emission decreased considerably in steps J, I, and P with an increase in $Hg^{2+}$ concentration when treated for 4 h. Subsequently, the JIP-test parameters (Fm, Fv/Fo, RC/CS, TRo/CS, ETo/CS, ${\Phi}_{PO}$, ${\Psi}_O$ and ${\Phi}_{EO}$) decreased with increasing $Hg^{2+}$ concentration, while N, Sm, ABS/RC, DIo/RC and DIo/CS increased. Therefore, a useful biomarker for investigating mercury stress in water ecosystems, and the parameters Fm, ${\Phi}_{PO}$, ${\Psi}_O$, and RC/CS can be used to monitor the environmental stress in water ecosystems quantitatively.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.1509-1519
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• 2011

The protective effect of nitric oxide (NO) on the antioxidant system under paraquat(PQ) stress was investigated in leaves of 8-week-old lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) plants. PQ stress caused a decrease of leaf growth including leaf length, width and weight. Application of NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), significantly alleviated PQ stress induced growth suppression. SNP permitted the survival of more green leaf tissue preventing chlorophyll content reduction and of higher quantum yield for photosystem II than in non-treated controls under PQ exposure, suggesting that NO has protective effect on chloroplast membrane in lettuce leaves. Flavonoids and anthocyanin were significantly accumulated in the leaves upon PQ exposure. However, the rapid increase of these compounds was alleviated in the SNP treated leaves. PQ treatment resulted in lipid peroxidation and induced accumulation of hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) in the leaves, while SNP prevented PQ induced increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) and $H_2O_2$. These results demonstrate that SNP serves as an antioxidant agent able to scavenge $H_2O_2$ to protect plant cells from oxidative damage. The activities of two antioxidant enzymes that scavenge reactive oxygen species, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in lettuce leaves in the presence of NO donor under PQ stress were higher than those under PQ stress alone. Application of 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4, 4, 5, 5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO), a specific NO scavenger, to the lettuce leaves arrested SNP mediated protective effect on leaf growth, photosynthetic pigment and antioxidant systems. However, PTIO had little effect on lettuce leaves under PQ stress compared with that of PQ stress alone. The obtained data suggest that the damage caused by PQ stress is in part due to increased generation of active oxygen by maintaining increased antioxidant enzyme activities and SNP protects plants from oxidative stress. From these results it is suggested that NO might act as a signal in activating active oxygen scavenging system that protects plants from oxidative damage induced by PQ stress and thus confer PQ tolerance.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.61 no.4
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• pp.270-276
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to find a rapid determination of the hot air stress in maize (Zea mays L.) leaves using a portable chlorophyll fluorescence imaging instrument. To assess the photosynthetic activity of maize leaves, an imaging analysis of the photochemical responses of maize was performed with chlorophyll fluorescence camera. The observed chlorophyll imaging photos were numerically transformed to the photochemical parameters on the basis of chlorophyll a fluorescence. Chlorophyll a fluorescence imaging (CFI) method showed that a rapid decrease in maximum fluorescence intensity ($F_m$) of leaf occurred under hot air stress. Although no change was observed in the maximum quantum yield ($F_v/F_m$) of the hot air stressed maize leaves, the other photochemical parameters such as maximum fluorescence intensity ($F_m$) and Maximum fluorescence value ($F_p$) were relatively lowered after hot air stress. In hot air stressed maize leaves, an increase was observed in the nonphotoquenching (NPQ) and decrease in the effective quantum yield of photochemical energy conversion in photosystem II (${\Phi}PSII$). Thus, NPQ and ${\Phi}PSII$ were available to be determined non-destructively in maize leaves under hot air stress. Our results clearly indicated that the hot air could be a source of stress in maize leaves. Thus, the CFI analysis along with its related parameters can be used as a rapid indicating technique for the determining hot air stress in plants.

• Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.231-236
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• 2007

Differentially expressed genes(DEG) were identified in a rice variety, Sathi, an indica type showing high allelopathic potential against barnyardgrass(Echinochloa crus-galli(L.) Beauv. var. frumentaceae). Rice plants were grown with and without barnyardgrass and total RNA was extracted from rice leaves at 45 days after seeding. DEG full-screening was performed by $GeneFishing^{TM}$ method. The differentially expressed bands were re-amplified and sequenced, then analyzed by Basic Local Alignment Search Tool(BLAST) searching for homology sequence identification. Gel electrophoresis showed nine possible genes associated with allelopathic potential in Sathi, six genes(namely DEG-1, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9) showed higher expression, and three genes(DEG-2, 3 and 6) showed lower expression as compared to the control. cDNA sequence analysis showed that DEG-7 and DEG-9 had the same sequence. From RT PCR results, DEG-6 and DEG-7 were considered as true DEG, whereas DEG-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 were considered as putative DEG. Results from blast-n and blast-x search suggested that DEG-1 is homologous to a gene for S-adenosylmethionine synthetase, DEG-2 is homologous to a chloroplast gene for ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase large subunit, DEG-8 is homologous to oxysterol-binding protein with an 85.7% sequence similarity, DEG-5 is homologous to histone 2B protein with a 47.9% sequence similarity, DEG-6 is homologous to nicotineamine aminotransferase with a 33.1% sequence similarity, DEG-3 has 98.8% similarity with nucleotides sequence that has 33.1% similarity with oxygen evolving complex protein in photosystem II, DEG-7 is homologous to nucleotides sequence that may relate with putative serin/threonine protein kinase and putative transposable element, and DEG-4 has 98.8% similarity with nucleotides sequence for an unknown protein.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2017

This study was conducted to determine the effects of artificial lighting sources on vegetative growth of Phalaenopsis and Doritaenopsis (an intergeneric hybrid of Doritis and Phalaenopsis) orchids. One - month - old plants were cultivated under fluorescent lamps, cool - white light - emitting diodes (LEDs), or warm - white LEDs at 80 and $160{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$. The blue (400 - 500 nm) : green (500 - 600 nm) : red (600 - 700 nm) : far - red (700 - 800 nm) ratios of the fluorescent lamps, cool-white LEDs, and warm-white LEDs were 1 : 1.3 : 0.8 : 0.1, 1 : 1.3 : 0.6 : 0.1, and 1 : 2.7 : 2.3 : 0.4, respectively. Each light treatment was maintained for 16 weeks in a closed plant-production system maintained at $28^{\circ}C$ with a 12 h photoperiod. The longest leaf span, as well as the leaf length and width of the uppermost mature leaf, were observed in plants treated with warm-white LEDs. Plants grown under fluorescent lamps had longer and wider leaves with a greater leaf span than plants grown under cool-white LEDs, while the maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II was higher under cool-white LEDs. The vegetative responses affected by different lighting sources were similar at both 80 and $160{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$. Leaf span and root biomass were increased by the higher light intensity in both cultivars, while the relative chlorophyll content was decreased. These results indicate that relatively high intensity light can promote vegetative growth of young Phalaenopsis plants, and that warm - white LEDs, which contain a high red-light ratio, are a better lighting source for the growth of these plants than the cool-white LEDs or fluorescent lamps. These results could therefore be useful in the selection of artificial lighting to maximize vegetative growth of Phalaenopsis plants in a closed plant - production system.

• 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 Environmental Science International
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.1023-1030
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• 2002

The effects on photosynthesis of NaCl(0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 or 1.0 M) were examined in etiolated barley seedlings. Chlorophyll(Chl) a, Chl b and carotenoid contents, Chl a fluorescence and quenching coefficients of Chl fluorescence have been determined in the primary leaves of etiolated barley seedlings cultivated under low light(60 $\mu$㏖ $m^{-2}\;s^{-1}$). Chl a, b, and carotenoid contents were decreased remarkably in comparison with the control at 0.4 M NaCl. However, the value of Fo and Fv were decreased at 0.6 M NaCl and the ratio of Fv/Fm were deceased at 1.0 M NaCl. Chlorophyll synthesis was seriously inhibited from 0.4 M NaCl, and the photosynthetic electron transport system was inhibited from 0.6 M NaCl. Quantum of photosystem II reaction center was inhibited at 1.0 M NaCl. The effects of NaCl on the Chl content were raised in a 6 hrs, but the effects of NaCl on the value of Fo, Fv and Fv/Fm were raised in 30 hrs. The value of qP was decreased in comparison with the control at all concentrations, but there was a small change in the value qE. These results provide evidence that NaCl inhibited effects of various concentration of NaCl were inhibited quinone redox, however, proton gradient between thylakoid membranes was little damaged.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.567-573
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• 2010

To ascertain the effect of over-expressed maize calreticulin in tomato plant on tobamovirus movement in addition to validating potentiality of the gene (ZmCRT) as a means for the virus-resistance resource, four ZmCRT-expressing homozygous lines were generated from the T0 plants as using an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, nucleic acid analyses, and a conventional breeding method. Of them, a line was subjected to the bioassay for tolerances to tobacco mosaic virus-U1 (TMV-U1) and tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) followed by RT-PCR and a chlorophyll fluorescence quenching analyses. Both transgenic plants transcribing ZmCRT and wild-type plants showed no symptom by 20 days after viruses inoculation, however the photosystem II quantum yield parameter measured from the upper leaves of ToMV-inoculated plants revealed that ZmCRT transgenic plants have higher photosynthetic ability than wild-type ones at that time, which indirectly implies that over-expressed ZmCRT product acts as a barrier to the cell-to-cell and/or systemic movement of ToMV. Moreover, ZmCRT transgenic plants showed remarkably longer shoot length than wild-type ones in 40 days after TMV-U1 or ToMV inoculation each, which might be resulted from higher photosynthetic ability during the phase not yet showing any external symptoms. Collectively, over-expressed ZmCRT protein in tomato plants is able to interrupt the systemic movement of infected TMV-U1 and ToMV even though not perfect.