Root hypoxia causes oxidative damage on photosynthetic apparatus and interacts with light stress to trigger abscission of lower position leaves in Capsicum

Abstract

Oxidants produced by roots in hypoxic soil and stress caused by intense light are two causes of reduced photosynthetic capacity and efficiency. Moreover, they promote the formation of leaf abscission zones, which has detrimental effects on crop growth. It remains unclear how leaf position, an endogenous factor in nonstress-induced senescence, affects leaf senescence caused by oxidative stress. Thus, we used Capsicum plants to examine how leaf senescence and abscission changed photosynthetic capacity and efficiency at five leaf positions. We analyzed the association between photosynthetic changes and leaf abscission. Our results demonstrated that hypoxia resulted in lower root biomass, lower water uptake in leaves, and lower leaf carotenoid content. Moreover, the interaction between hypoxia and intense light stress causes lower carotenoid and chlorophyll content, suggesting that leaf oxidative stress levels affect the degree of photoprotection conferred by the presence of carotenoids. We also found a significant reduction in the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II under hypoxia conditions, especially in leaves at lower positions on the plant. Finally, we observed that the combined stress of hypoxia and intense light induced abscission at these lower leaf positions. Our results suggested that the level of oxidative damage in respective leaf caused by hypoxia and high light stress is significantly affected by leaf position, and stress interactions cause abscission in the lower leaves near the roots.