Premium
Interaction between sublethal pollution by sulphur dioxide and drought stress. The effect on photosynthetic capacity
Author(s) -
Cornic G.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1987.tb04627.x
Subject(s) - dehydration , photosynthetic capacity , photosynthesis , drought stress , botany , pollution , chlorophyll , water stress , picea abies , chemistry , horticulture , carbon dioxide , biology , ecology , biochemistry
Five‐year‐old Picea abies L. plants were grown in growth cabinets in the presence (3.1 μmol m −3 ) or absence of SO 2 . After 5 weeks, the photosynthetic capacity of mature needles produced in the year was the same in both conditions. Trees were then submitted in situ to drought stress by withholding water. The decline of leaf photosynthetic capacity was greatest in the presence of SO 2 . Chlorophyll decreased only when trees were submitted to dehydration in the presence of SO 2 ; however, this al‐one could not account for the large decline in photosynthetic capacity observed under that condition. Needle water content was the lowest during dehydration in the presence of SO 2 . It is concluded that the critical factor in the interaction between pollution by SO 2 and drought stress is the greater dehydration of the tissue found in stressed plants grown in the presence of SO 2 . The large decline in photosynthetic capacity under such conditions might be due to this greater dehydration.