The role of calcium in regulating photosynthesis and related physiological indexes of cucumber seedlings under low light intensity and suboptimal temperature stress

• Published in: Scientia horticulturae Vol. 123; no. 1; pp. 34 - 38
• Main Authors: Liang, Wenjuan, Wang, Meiling, Ai, Xizhen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-12-2009; [Amsterdam; New York, NY]: Elsevier Science; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; air temperature; antioxidant activity; Antioxidant enzymes; Biological and medical sciences; calcium; calcium chloride; carboxylation; catalase; chelating agents; chlorides; chlorophyll; chlorpromazine; cold stress; Cucumber; cucumbers; Cucumis sativus; enzyme activity; ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; lanthanum chloride; light intensity; lipid peroxidation; peroxidase; photosynthesis; Photosynthetic rate; plant nutrition; Proline; Protected cultivation; Ribulose 1,5-biphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase); ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase; seedlings; Soilless cultures. Protected cultivation; Solar-greenhouse; Proline; Solar-greenhouse; Photosynthetic rate; Cucumber; Ribulose 1,5-biphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase); Antioxidant enzymes; Temperature; Calcium; Horticulture; Plant juvenile growth stage; Ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase; Lyases; Carboxy-lyases; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Physiology; Enzyme; Cucurbitaceae; Cucumis sativus; Low intensity; Antioxidant; Stress; Luminous intensity; Carbon-carbon lyases; Vegetable crop; Spermatophyta; Greenhouse; Photosynthesis
• ISSN: 0304-4238; 1879-1018
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scienta.2009.07.015

The response of photosynthesis, antioxidant enzyme activity, and proline content to low light intensity and suboptimal temperature in
Cucumis sativa L. seedlings pretreated with either distilled water, 10
mM CaCl
2, 1
mM LaCl
3, 3
mM ethyleneglycol-bis-(2-aminoethyl) tetraacetic acid (EGTA) or 0.05
mM chlorpromazine (CPZ) were investigated. The results showed that 10
mM CaCl
2 led to an increase in photosynthetic rate (Pn), carboxylation efficiency (CE), ribulose 1,5-biphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase) activity, chlorophyll content, peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activity, and proline content of cucumber seedlings under low light intensity and suboptimal temperature, in comparison with the distilled water-pretreated seedlings. However, LaCl
3, EGTA and CPZ were in contrast to CaCl
2. These results suggest that CaCl
2 has beneficial effect on photosynthetic adaptation to low light and suboptimal temperature stress in cucumber seedlings. This might be related to the observed increase in RuBPCase activity, alleviation of lipid peroxidation and enhancement of osmoregulation, with these effects being inhibited by LaCl
3, EGTA and CPZ.