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Photosynthetic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2022) | Viewed by 20364

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Prof. Dr. Michael Moustakas

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Department of Botany, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: plant ecophysiology; biotic stress; abiotic stress; photosynthesis; antioxidative mechanisms; photoprotective mechanisms; mineral nutrition; ROS
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Dear Colleagues,

Plants live in constantly changing environmental conditions that are usually unfavorable or stressful for growth and development, threatening agricultural productivity. These adverse environmental factors can be biotic, imposed by other organisms, or abiotic, arising from an excess or deficit in the physical or chemical environment (e.g., drought, salinity, pesticide contamination, extreme temperatures, high light intensity, nutrient deficiencies, heavy metals, UV radiation, etc.). These stresses are involved in short- or long-term alterations of steady-state photosynthetic activity. Photosynthesis is a highly regulated process, in which the absorbed solar energy as photons by the light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) is transferred to the reaction centers (RCs) where, through charge separation, the electrons flow from photosystem II (PSII) to photosystem I (PSI). The result of this process is the formation of ATP and reducing power (reduced ferredoxin and NADPH) that need to be coordinated with the activity of metabolic processes for carbohydrate synthesis. Under most biotic or abiotic stresses, the absorbed light energy exceeds the rate of its consumption by the Calvin–Benson–Bassham cycle, thus causing an excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and consequent cellular damage. ROS–antioxidant interaction provides essential information for the redox state, which influences gene expression associated with biotic and abiotic stress responses, modulating photosynthetic acclimation or cell death to maximize defense against the stress factors. Biotic and abiotic stresses primarily reduce the photosynthetic efficiency of plants, due to their negative effects on the biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments, photosystem performance, electron transport mechanisms, gas exchange parameters, CO₂ fixation, carbohydrate metabolism, and many others. This Special Issue of Plants will highlight the mechanisms of the photosynthetic responses to biotic and abiotic stress and thus contribute to a better understanding of the photochemistry of plants under stress that can help in the development of realistic interventions for increasing agricultural productivity. Hence, detecting steps or mechanisms where current photosynthetic systems are suboptimal under different environmental conditions and then optimizing these steps for best performance represents a key research target in present photosynthetic improvement efforts.

Prof. Dr. Michael Moustakas
Guest Editor

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Keywords

plant pathogens
plant herbivores
defense response
plant-insect interactions
acclimation
photoprotection
drought
salinity
cold stress
pesticides
high temperature
high light intensity
nutrient deficiencies
heavy metals
UV radiation
light-harvesting complex
reaction centers
non-enzymatic antioxidants
stomatal conductance
mesophyll conductance
carbon dioxide assimilation
stomata
chlorophyll fluorescence
photosynthetic efficiency
photochemistry
gas exchange
leaf water potential
non-stomatal limitation
rubisco
transpiration
water use efficiency
reactive oxygen species
oxidative stress
environmental stress
antioxidant mechanisms
light reactions
electron transport
redox regulation

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 16338 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photosynthesis-Related Responses of Colombian Elite Hevea brasiliensis Genotypes under Different Environmental Variations: Implications for New Germplasm Selection in the Amazon

by Armando Sterling, Lised Guaca-Cruz, Edwin Andrés Clavijo-Arias, Natalia Rodríguez-Castillo and Juan Carlos Suárez

Plants 2021, 10(11), 2320; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10112320 - 28 Oct 2021

Viewed by 1921

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate photosynthetic performance based on gas exchange traits, chlorophyll a fluorescence, and leaf water potential (Ψ_L) in nine Hevea brasiliensis genotypes from the ECC-1 (Élite Caquetá Colombia) selection and the cultivar IAN 873 (control) in response to different climatic (semi-humid warm and humid warm climates), seasonal (dry and rainy periods), and hourly (3:00 to 18:00) variations that can generate stress in the early growth stage (two-year-old plants) in two large-scale clonal trials in the Colombian Amazon. The photosynthetic performance in 60% of the Colombian genotypes was slightly affected under the conditions with less water availability (dry period, semi-humid warm site, and between 9:00 and 15:00 h), as compared with IAN 873, whose affectation was moderate in terms of photosynthesis rates, but its water conservation strategy was strongly affected. The ECC 90, ECC 83, and ECC 73 genotypes had the best photosynthetic performance under conditions of greater water limitation, and ECC 35, and ECC 64 had a higher water status based on the leaf water potential, with intermediate photosynthetic performance. This germplasm has a high potential for selection in rubber tree breeding programs in future scenarios of climate change in the Colombian Amazon. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photosynthetic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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23 pages, 2486 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Can Electrophysiological Parameters Substitute for Growth, and Photosynthetic Parameters to Characterize the Response of Mulberry and Paper Mulberry to Drought?

by Rui Yu, Yanyou Wu and Deke Xing

Plants 2021, 10(9), 1772; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10091772 - 25 Aug 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2138

Abstract

Drought is a key factor restricting plant survival, growth and development. The physiological parameters of plants are commonly used to determine the water status, in order to irrigate appropriately and save water. In this study, mulberry (Morus alba L.) and paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent.) seedlings were used as experimental materials, and four soil moisture treatments were set up for both plant species: 70–75% (CK: the control group, referred to as T0), 55–60% (T1: mild drought), 40–45% (T2: moderate drought), and 25–30% (T3: severe drought). The growth parameter of the plants was measured every two days from the onset of the treatment, the photosynthetic and electrophysiological parameters of the plants were measured every other week for a total of five times. The physiological responses and electrophysiological traits of leaves under different treatment levels were analyzed. The results showed that the photosynthetic and electrophysiological parameters could characterize the response of mulberry growth and development to soil water, and the growth and electrophysiological parameters could characterize the response of paper mulberry growth and development to soil water. Mild drought had no significant effects on the growth and development of mulberry and paper mulberry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photosynthetic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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15 pages, 2892 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Polyphasic OKJIP Chlorophyll a Fluorescence Transient in a Landrace and a Commercial Cultivar of Sweet Pepper (Capsicum annuum, L.) under Long-Term Salt Stress

by Pasquale Giorio and Mohamed Houssemeddine Sellami

Plants 2021, 10(5), 887; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10050887 - 28 Apr 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2771

Abstract

In a soilless long-term salt-stress experiment, we tested the differences between the commercial sweet pepper cultivar “Quadrato d’Asti” and the landrace “Cazzone Giallo” in the structure and function of PSII through the JIP test analysis of the fast chlorophyll fluorescence transients (OKJIP). Salt stress inactivated the oxygen-evolving complex. Performance index detected the stress earlier than the maximum quantum yield of PSII, which remarkably decreased in the long term. The detrimental effects of salinity on the oxygen evolving-complex, the trapping of light energy in PSII, and delivering in the electron transport chain occurred earlier and more in the landrace than the cultivar. Performance indexes decreased earlier than the maximum quantum yield of PSII. Stress-induced inactivation of PSII reaction centers reached 22% in the cultivar and 45% in the landrace. The resulted heat dissipation had the trade-off of a correspondent reduced energy flow per sample leaf area, thus an impaired potential carbon fixation. These results corroborate the reported higher tolerance to salt stress of the commercial cultivar than the landrace in terms of yield. PSII was more affected than PSI, which functionality recovered in the late of trial, especially in the cultivar, possibly due to heat dissipation mechanisms. This study gives valuable information for breeding programs aiming to improve tolerance in salt stress sensitive sweet pepper genotypes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photosynthetic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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14 pages, 9268 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Hormetic Responses of Photosystem II in Tomato to Botrytis cinerea

by Maria-Lavrentia Stamelou, Ilektra Sperdouli, Ioanna Pyrri, Ioannis-Dimosthenis S. Adamakis and Michael Moustakas

Plants 2021, 10(3), 521; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10030521 - 10 Mar 2021

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 2927

Abstract

Botrytis cinerea, a fungal pathogen that causes gray mold, is damaging more than 200 plant species, and especially tomato. Photosystem II (PSII) responses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) leaves to Botrytis cinerea spore suspension application were evaluated by chlorophyll fluorescence imaging analysis. Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) that was detected 30 min after Botrytis application with an increasing trend up to 240 min, is possibly convening tolerance against B. cinerea at short-time exposure, but when increasing at relative longer exposure, is becoming a damaging molecule. In accordance, an enhanced photosystem II (PSII) functionality was observed 30 min after application of B. cinerea, with a higher fraction of absorbed light energy to be directed to photochemistry (Φ_PSΙΙ). The concomitant increase in the photoprotective mechanism of non-photochemical quenching of photosynthesis (NPQ) resulted in a significant decrease in the dissipated non-regulated energy (Φ_NO), indicating a possible decreased singlet oxygen (¹O₂) formation, thus specifying a modified reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. Therefore, 30 min after application of Botrytis spore suspension, before any visual symptoms appeared, defense response mechanisms were triggered, with PSII photochemistry to be adjusted by NPQ in a such way that PSII functionality to be enhanced, but being fully inhibited at the application spot and the adjacent area, after longer exposure (240 min). Hence, the response of tomato PSII to B. cinerea, indicates a hormetic temporal response in terms of “stress defense response” and “toxicity”, expanding the features of hormesis to biotic factors also. The enhanced PSII functionality 30 min after Botrytis application can possible be related with the need of an increased sugar production that is associated with a stronger plant defense potential through the induction of defense genes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photosynthetic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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14 pages, 1737 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Leaf Gas Exchange of Tomato Depends on Abscisic Acid and Jasmonic Acid in Response to Neighboring Plants under Different Soil Nitrogen Regimes

by Shuang Li, Abdoul Kader Mounkaila Hamani, Zhuanyun Si, Yueping Liang, Yang Gao and Aiwang Duan

Plants 2020, 9(12), 1674; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9121674 - 29 Nov 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2206

Abstract

High planting density and nitrogen shortage are two important limiting factors for crop yield. Phytohormones, abscisic acid (ABA), and jasmonic acid (JA), play important roles in plant growth. A pot experiment was conducted to reveal the role of ABA and JA in regulating leaf gas exchange and growth in response to the neighborhood of plants under different nitrogen regimes. The experiment included two factors: two planting densities per pot (a single plant or four competing plants) and two N application levels per pot (1 and 15 mmol·L⁻¹). Compared to when a single plant was grown per pot, neighboring competition decreased stomatal conductance (g_s), transpiration (T_r) and net photosynthesis (P_n). Shoot ABA and JA and the shoot-to-root ratio increased in response to neighbors. Both g_s and P_n were negatively related to shoot ABA and JA. In addition, N shortage stimulated the accumulation of ABA in roots, especially for competing plants, whereas root JA in competing plants did not increase in N15. Pearson’s correlation coefficient (R²) of g_s to ABA and g_s to JA was higher in N1 than in N15. As compared to the absolute value of slope of g_s to shoot ABA in N15, it increased in N1. Furthermore, the stomatal limitation and non-stomatal limitation of competing plants in N1 were much higher than in other treatments. It was concluded that the accumulations of ABA and JA in shoots play a coordinating role in regulating g_s and P_n in response to neighbors; N shortage could intensify the impact of competition on limiting carbon fixation and plant growth directly. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photosynthetic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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14 pages, 2104 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photosynthetic Responses of Canola to Exogenous Application or Endogenous Overproduction of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid (ALA) under Various Nitrogen Levels

by Xinxin Feng, Yuyan An, Jingjing Gao and Liangju Wang

Plants 2020, 9(11), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9111419 - 23 Oct 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2115

Abstract

Limited data are available on the effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) on plant photosynthesis in relation to the nitrogen (N) level. In this study, we investigate photosynthetic responses to ALA in canola plants (Brassica napus L.). We used wild-type plants without ALA addition (controls), wild-type plants with exogenous ALA application, and transgenic plants that endogenously overproduced ALA. The plants were grown hydroponically in nutrient solutions with low, middle, and high concentrations of N. Our results indicate that plants in both treatment groups had higher chlorophyll contents and net photosynthetic rates and lower intracellular CO₂ concentrations in the leaves, as compared to controls. Furthermore, simultaneous measurement of prompt chlorophyll fluorescence and modulated 820-nm reflections showed that the active photosystem II (PS II) reaction centers, electron transfer capacity, and photosystem I (PS I) activity were all higher in treated plants than controls at all N levels; however, the responses of some photochemical processes to ALA were significantly affected by the N level. For example, under low N conditions only, a negative ΔK peak appeared in the prompt chlorophyll fluorescence curve, indicating a protective effect of ALA on electron donation via activation of the oxygen-evolving complex. Taken together, our findings suggest that ALA contributes to the promotion of photosynthesis by regulating photosynthetic electron transport under various N levels. These findings may provide a new strategy for improving photosynthesis in crops grown in N-poor conditions or reduced N-fertilization requirements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photosynthetic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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18 pages, 3114 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Insights into the Role of Streptomyces hydrogenans as the Plant Growth Promoter, Photosynthetic Pigment Enhancer and Biocontrol Agent against Meloidogyne incognita in Solanum lycopersicum Seedlings

by Nandni Sharma, Kanika Khanna, Rajesh Kumari Manhas, Renu Bhardwaj, Puja Ohri, Jawaher Alkahtani, Mona S. Alwahibi and Parvaiz Ahmad

Plants 2020, 9(9), 1109; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9091109 - 27 Aug 2020

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 3776

Abstract

Root-knot nematodes (RKN), Meloidogyne sp. hinders functioning of crops and causes global losses in terms of productivity and yield. Meloidogyne sp. are microscopic, obligatory endoparasites with ubiquitous distribution in different parts of the world. Taking into consideration these aspects, the present study was conducted to explore nematicidal activity of the Streptomyces hydrogenans strain DH-16 against M. incognita to regulate its pathogenicity in plants. In-vitro experimentation revealed that pretreated seeds with solvent and culture supernatant lowered root galls in infested plants and promoted growth of Solanum lycopersicum seedlings, revealed through the morphological analysis. Additionally, antioxidative defense responses were induced with microbes. However, oxidative stress markers were considerably reduced after microbial inoculations. Apart from this, secondary metabolites were assessed and modulated in RKN infested plants on microbial supplementations. Confocal studies evaluated glutathione accumulation within root apices and its enhancement was directly proportional to defense responses. Therefore, the current study concluded the role of S. hydrogenans in stimulating antioxidant potential against RKN along with growth promoting aids. Thus, the outcome of the current study endorses that metabolites produced by S. hydrogenans can be used as safe biocontrol agents against M. incognita and also as plant growth promoting agents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photosynthetic Responses to Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

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