The effects of ultraviolet-B radiation and carbon dioxide on growth and photosynthesis of tomato

Abstract

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants were exposed, in controlled environments with 2.7 kJ/(m2 ∙ day) background ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation from fluorescent and incandescent lamps, to ambient (380 μL ∙ L−1) or elevated (600 μL−1) CO2 combined with a total of 7.2 or 13.1 kJ/(m2 ∙ day) UV-B radiation to determine effects on growth and photosynthesis. Ten consecutive days of exposure to the higher level of UV-B significantly reduced total and stem dry weight, leaf area, and plant height compared with the lower level. Only leaf area and plant height were significantly reduced after 19 consecutive days of exposure. To investigate whether plants recover from UV-B damage, the UV-B exposures were halted for 3 days after 19 days of UV-B exposure and then restarted for a further 2 days. The largest reduction in plant growth was found after 3 days with no UV-B followed by 2 days of the higher level of UV-B. Plants did not recover from UV-B damage during the 3 days with background UV-B. Significant CO2xUV-B interactions were detected on stem dry weight after 10 consecutive days of the higher level of UV-B and on total dry weight, leaf dry weight, stem dry weight, and plant height after 3 days with no UV-B followed by 2 days of the higher level of UV-B. The higher dose of enhanced UV-B resulted in more severe damage at 600 μL ∙ L−1 CO2, than at ambient CO2. The higher level of UV-B did not affect the leaf net photosynthesis rate on a leaf area basis, although this UV-B level may have inhibited tomato growth through reducing the photosynthetic area. UV-absorbing compounds in leaves in the highest UV-B radiation level for 19 days were greater than for leaves with the lower dose. These UV-absorbing compounds in the higher UV-B dose diminished more than in the lower dose plants during the 3 days without UV-B. The UV-absorbing compounds maintained by plants exposed to the highest level of UV-B radiation may have protected plants from UV-B damage, particularly between 10 and 19 consecutive days of exposure. Key words: CO2, growth, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., photosynthesis, tomato, ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B), UV-absorbing compounds.