Cold-hardening-induced resistance to photoinhibition of photosynthesis in winter rye is dependent upon an increased capacity for photosynthesis

Abstract

Analyses of chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic oxygen evolution were conducted to understand why cold-hardened winter rye (Secale cereale L.) is more resistant to photoinhibition of photosynthesis than is non-hardened winter rye. Under similar light and temperature conditions, leaves of cold-hardened rye were able to keep a larger fraction of the PS II reaction centres in an open configuration, i.e. a higher ratio of oxidized to reduced QA (the primary, stable quinone acceptor of PSII), than leaves of non-hardened rye. Three fold-higher photon fluence rates were required for cold-hardened leaves than for non-hardened leaves in order to establish the same proportion of oxidized to reduced QA. This ability of cold-hardened rye fully accounted for its higher resistance to photoinhibition; under similar redox states of qa cold-hardened and non-hardened leaves of winter rye exhibited similar sensitivities to photoinhibition. Under given light and temperature conditions, it was the higher capacity for light-saturated photosynthesis in cold-hardened than in non-hardened leaves, which was responsible for maintaining a higher proportion of oxidized to reduced QA. This higher capacity for photosynthesis of cold-hardened leaves also explained the increased resistance of photosynthesis to photoinhibition upon cold-hardening.