Two light treatments [ambient sunlight (L1) during the entire growth period and 40% shade (L2) from 40 d after sowing until 24 d after flowering] and two phosphate fertilizer treatments [no phosphate fertilizer application (P0) and a conventional phosphate fertilizer application (P1)] were used to determine how phosphate fertilizer regulates soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] photosynthesis under shading. We showed that phosphorus significantly increased chlorophyll content and grain yield under shading. The light-saturated net photosynthetic rate, apparent quantum yield, maximum electron transport rate, and maximum Rubisco carboxylation rate in P1 under L2 significantly increased. Moreover, phosphate fertilizer significantly improved the electron transfer and PSII reaction center performance under shading. Therefore, phosphate fertilizer increases low light-utilization efficiency by improving PSII performance, promoting ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate regeneration, ensuring a source of carboxylate substrates, and coordinating the balance between photochemical reaction and Calvin cycle under shading.
A sand-culture experiment was conducted in open-top chambers which were constructed in a greenhouse to investigate the responses of salt-stressed wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to O3. Plant seeding of JN17 (a popular winter wheat cultivar) was grown in saltless (-S) and saline (+S, 100 mM NaCl) conditions combined with charcoal-filtered air (CF, < 5 ppb O3) and elevated O3 (+O3,
80 ± 5 ppb, 8 h day-1) for 30 d. O3 significantly reduced net photosynthetic rate (PN), stomatal conductance, chlorophyll contents and plant biomass in -S treatment, but no considerable differences were noted in those parameters between +O3+S and CF+S treatments. O3-induced loss in cellular membrane integrity was significant in -S plants, but not in +S plants evidenced by significant elevations being measured in electrolyte leakage (EL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in -S plants, but not in +S plants. Both O3 and salinity increased proline content and stimulated antioxidant enzymes activities. Soluble protein increased by salinity but decreased by O3. Abscisic acid (ABA) was significantly elevated by O3 in -S plants but not in +S plants. The results of this study suggested that the specificity of different agricultural environments should be considered in order to develop reliable prediction models on O3 damage to wheat plants. and Y. H. Zheng ... [et al.].