Structural Features of Nuclei in Leaf Mesophyll Cells of Salt-Tolerant Artemisia marschalliana

All nuclei in mesophyll cells of Artemisia marschalliana are located in vacuoles and occupy up to 90% of their volume. The ultrastructural organization of chromatin in nuclei shows different degrees of its decondensation, up to complete separation of DNA from histones. It is possible that the separation of DNA from histones enables Artemisia to grow in soils with high salinity.

Gas flaring cause shifts in mesophyll and stomatal functional traits of Betula pubescens Ehrh.

In petroleum-producing territories of West Siberia(Russia),oil well gas flares have a thermal effect on nearby plant communities.Such communities can be used as models for studying plant acclimation to global warming.In the present study on the effect of the hydrothermal regime at the flare sites on mesophyll and stomatal functional traits of Betula pubescens,leaves were collected from trees at250 m(control site[CS]),200,150 and 100 m(maximum impact site[MIS])from a flare.From the CS to MIS site,the average annual air temperature increased by 0.5℃and bog water level decreased by 17 cm.On plants from the MIS,stomata were 16%smaller and density was 20%lower compared to those at the CS,resulting in lower maximum stomatal conductance in plants from the MIS(mean±SE:MIS 0.84±0.05 mol·m^(-2)s^(-1),CS 1.24±0.06 mol·m^(-2)s^(-1);F=12.6,P<0.01).Mesophyll cell volume was 1.9 times lower at MIS than at CS.Chloroplast numbers per cell also declined with distance from the flares,from 21(MIS)to18(CS;F=15.6,P<0.001),and chloroplast volume was 24%higher at the CS,whereas the number of mesophyll cells and chloroplasts numbers per unit leaf area were 1.9 and 1.8 times higher at the MIS than at the CS,respectively.As a result,leaves from the MIS had a large total mesophyll cell(Ames/A)and chloroplast(Achl/A)surface area per unit leaf area,resulting in a 46%increase in mesophyll conductance in plants from the MIS.Thus,structural changes in leaf epidermis consisted of a decrease in stomatal size and number,could lower transpiration losses with higher temperatures and less water.To compensate for the reduction in leaf conductance due to a decrease in stomatal conductance under these conditions,an increase in the number of mesophyll cells and chloroplasts per unit area provides a greater gas-exchange area and mesophyll conductance.

Cytochemical localization of ATPase and sub-cellular variation in mesophyll cell of Cyclocarya paliurus seedlings under iso-osmotic stress and calcium regulation

The ultrastructural distribution and active location of ATPase and the ultrastructural variations were investigated in mesophyll cells of Cyclocarya paliurus seedlings after iso-osmotic salt/water treatments in combination with calcium regulation. C. paliurus seed- lings were treated with five groups （control, 85 mM NaCl, 85 mM NaCl＋ 12 mM Ca（NO3）2, PEG iso-osmotic to 85 mM NaCl and PEG iso-osmotic to 85 mM NaCl＋12 mM Ca（NO））2） in a hydroponic system in a phytotron. Results show that under normal growth conditions the ATPase activity was low and the enzyme was primarily located on the nucleus. After 12 days of iso-osmotic salt/water treatments, ATPase activity on the tonoptast increased. Osmiophilic globules for iso-osmotic water treatment were greater than that for iso-osmotie salt treatments. The ATPase activity increased and was mostly transferred onto the nucleus for calcium regulation treatment under iso- osmotic salt/water stresses, and the osmiophilic globules significantly decreased under iso-osmotic water stress with calcium regulation. The ATPase located on the nucleus indicated that the degree of salt/drought damage that seedlings suffered was slighter, while the amount of the enzyme located on the tonoplast showed that the degree of salt/drought damage there was more serious. After 4 and 20 days of iso- osmotic treatments, the injury suffered by the leaf ultrastructures of C. paliurus seedlings for iso-osmotic treatment with calcium regula- tion was lower than those without calcium regulation, especially for the iso-osmotic water treatments. Preliminary analysis suggests that the iniury suffered by C. paliurus seedlings was lower for iso-osmotic salt treatments than for iso-osmotic water treatments, while the effect of calcium regulation under iso-osmotic water stress was greater than that of the iso-osmotic salt stress.

Identification and Preliminary Characterization of Wheat Mesophyll Cells 65 kDa Microtubule-associated Protein

[Objective] This study aimed to test the characteristics of MAP65 in wheat mesophyll cells by co-sedimentation experiments. [Method] We used wheat Linyou 2018 as the experimental material. Western blotting analysis was carried out to de- tect the existing of 65 kDa MAP in the wheat mesophyll cells; spectrophotometery and SDS-PAGE were adopted to analyze the role of MAP65 in microtubules poly- merization in vitro. [Result] MAP65 indeed existed in wheat mesophyll cells. Co-sedi- mentation experiments showed that MAP65 can bind to microtubules, with the basic characteristics of the microtubule-associated proteins. Turbidimetric experiments showed that microtubule polymerization depended on the concentration of MAP65. Low concentrations of MAP65 promoted microtubule polymerization while high con- centrations of MAP65 inhibited microtubule polymerization. [Conclusion] This study laid significant basis for further research on physiological function of MAP65 protein.

Effects of High Temperature Stress on Microscopic and Ultrastructural Characteristics of Mesophyll Cells in Flag Leaves of Rice

The microscopic and ultrastructural characteristics of mesophyll cells in flag leaves of two rice lines （a thermosensitive line 4628 and a thermo-resistant line 996） under high temperature stress （37℃ during 8：00-17：00 and 30℃ during 17：00-8：00） were investigated using an optical and a transmission electron microscopy. The membrane permeability and malondialdehyde content increased under the high temperature stress, and the increase of both variables was greater in the line 4628 than in the line 996. Under the high temperature stress, the line 996 showed tightly arranged mesophyll cells in flag leaves, fully developed vascular bundles and some closed stomata, whereas the line 4628 suffered from injury because of undeveloped vascular bundles, loosely arranged mesophyll cells and opened stomata. The mesophyll cells in flag leaves of the line 4628 were severely damaged under the high temperature stress, i.e. the chloroplast envelope became blurred, the grana thylakoid layer was arranged loosely and irregularly, the stroma layer disappeared, many osmiophilic granules appeared within the chloroplast, the outer membrane of mitochondria and the nucleus disintegrated and became blurred, the nucleolus disappeared, and much fibrillar-granular materials appeared within the nucleus. In contrast, the mesophyll cells in flag leaves of the line 996 maintained an intact ultrastructure under the high temperature stress. From these results, it is suggested that the ultrastructural modification of the cell membrane system is the primary plant response to high temperature stress and can be used as an index to evaluate the crop heat tolerance.

Responses of leaf stomatal and mesophyll conductance to abiotic stress factors

Plant photosynthesis assimilates CO_(2)from the atmosphere,and CO_(2)diffusion efficiency is mainly constrained by stomatal and mesophyll resistance.The stomatal and mesophyll conductance of plants are sensitive to abiotic stress factors,which affect the CO_(2)concentrations at carboxylation sites to control photosynthetic rates.Early studies conducted relevant reviews on the responses of stomatal conductance to the environment and the limitations of mesophyll conductance by internal structure and biochemical factors.However,reviews on the abiotic stress factors that systematically regulate plant CO_(2)diffusion are rare.Therefore,in this review,the rapid and long-term responses of stomatal and mesophyll conductance to abiotic stress factors(such as light intensity,drought,CO_(2)concentration and temperature)and their physiological mechanisms are summarized.Finally,future research trends are also investigated.

Characteristics of the Mesophyllous Cells in the Sheaths of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)

The photosynthesis of rice sheath plays a significant role to furnish rice yield, and it is accounted for 10 to 20% of the final yield. But, limited studies have been done to address this phenomenon and to characterize the mesophyllous cells of rice sheath and how it may attribute to the rice yield. In this paper, super hybrid rice Liangyoupeijiu, its parents Wumang 9311 and Peiai 64S, and hybrid rice Shanyou 63 were studied as the experimental materials, and the characteristics of the mesophyllous cells of rice sheaths were examined by microscopic and super-microscopic observation as well as chlorophyll absorption spectrums. The results showed that rice sheath was rich in the intact mesophyllous cells full of chloroplasts, grana and thylakoids, which were much the same as those of rice blade. The absorption spectrum curves of the Chl. a and b of the sheaths were similar to those of the blades. The stomatal density in the outer epidermises of the sheaths was comparable to those in the up- and down-epidermises of the blades. The significant tests proved that the amount of chloroplast per mesophyllous cell of the sheaths was almost the same as those of the blades, and the mesophyllous cells in the sheaths were also rich in chlorophylls. The chlorophyll content of rice sheath reached about 50% of the chlorophyll content of rice blade, and the P, of the sheath/the blade ranged from 13.60 to 34.57%. Therefore, rice sheath was also full of the intact photosynthetic apparatus similar to those in rice blade, and had capabilities of photosynthesis. The statistical analysis revealed that the physiological senescence of the photosynthetic apparatus in both the sheath and the blade of Liangyoupeijiu was significantly slower than those of the other varieties at the late stages. The profuse grain-filling stage was an inflexion point of the physiological senescence of the chloroplasts and the chlorophylls of both the blades and the sheaths.

Comparative studies on leaf epidermal micromorphology and mesophyll structure of Elaeagnus angustifolia L.in two different regions of desert habitat

In order to obtain qualitative and quantitative characteristics of leaf epidermal micromorphology and mesophyll structure to evaluate the responses ofElaeagnus angustifolia L. to different environmental factors, epidermal micromorphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and mesophyll structure was studied by light microscopy （LM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. Materials were selected from Linze County, Gansu Province （material A） and Qitai County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region （material B） of China. Results show that lamina thickness was higher in material A, with one layer of epidermal cells in both adaxial and abaxial surfaces, and epidermal cell radial length was significantly longer in the adaxial surface. E. angustifolia leaves are typically bifacial, with a higher ratio of palisade to spongy tissue in material A. The thickness of trichome layer of epidermis was thicker in material A. In contrast, cell wall and cuticular wax of the epidermal cells were thinner in material A than in material B. Chloroplast ultrastructure was different with the approximate spherical chloroplast containing numerous starch grains and osmiophilic granules in ma- terial A, while only the spindly chloroplast contained starch grains in material B. Multiple layers of peltate or stel- late-peltate trichomes occupied both leaf surfaces in material A and the abaxial surface in material B, while the adaxial surface of material B contained few trichomes. Stomata were not observed on the leaf surfaces in materials A and B by SEM because of trichome obstruction. Our results indicate that the leaf structure of E. angustifolia is closely correlated with environmental factors, and the combination of leaf epidermal micromorphology and mesophyll structure afford re- sistance to environmental stress.

Effects of Exterior Abscisic Acid on Calcium Distribution of Mesophyll Cells and Calcium Concentration of Guard Cells in Maize Seedlings

In this study, the direct effects of exterior abscisic acid （ABA） on both calcium distribution of mesophyll cells and cytosolic calcium concentration of guard cells were examined. The distribution of Ca^2＋ localization were observed with calcium antimonate precipitate-electromicroscopic-cyto-chemical methods after treated with ABA and pretreated with ethylene glycol-bis-（2-aminoethylether）-N,N,N＇,N＇-tetraacetic acid （EGTA）, verapamil （Vp）, and trifluoperazine （TFP）. The laser scanning confocal microscopy was used to measure the cytosolic calcium concentrations of guard cells under different treatments. The results showed that the cytosolic Ca^2＋ concentration of mesophyll ceils was induced to increase by ABA, but to decrease in both outside cell and the vacuoles within 10 rain after treatments. The cytosolic calcium concentration of guard cells was increased gradually with the lag in treatment time. However, both EGTA and TFP could inverse those effects, indicating that the increase of cytosolic calcium induced by exterior ABA was mainly caused by calcium influx. The results also showed that calmodulin could influence both the calcium distribution of mesophyll cells and calcium concentration of guard cells. It shows that calmodulin participates in the process of ABA signal transduction, but the mechanism is not known as yet. The changes both calcium distribution of mesophyll cells and calcium concentration of guard cells further proved that the variations of cytosolic Ca^2＋ concentration induced by ABA were involved in the stomatal movements of maize seedlings.

Combined Effect of Water Deficit and Salt Stress on the Structure of Mesophyll Cells in Wheat Seedlings

The purpose of the work was to assess the combined effect of drought and salinity (50, 100, 200 mМ NaCl) on the meso- and ultrastructure of mesophyll cells of wheat seedlings. Stress development was estimated by a decrease in the relative water content (RWC) and CO2-dependent O2 evolution (An) in leaves. The decrease in the RWC and in An occurred rapidly in the absence of salt in the substrate and slowly in the presence of salt, especially at a treatment of 100 mM NaCl. The resumption of watering led to the recovery of the both parameters in all variants except one with 200 mM NaCl. Structural studies showed that a weak drought stress (RWC 60%) without salinity led to the destruction of cell membranes and hyaloplasm, which did not occur in all salt treatments. By contrast, the ultrastructure of nuclei in weak drought without salinity remained unchanged, whereas in all salt treatments chromatin changed substantially. Heterochromatin underwent a strong condensation followed by the fusion into a united mass with the simultaneous loss of electron density. A strong water stress (RWC 40%) in all variants led to cell destruction and the hydrolysis of cell compounds. Under the drought without salinity, vacuoles disappeared, whereas in salt-treated samples they were retained and filled with organelles being at different degrees of degradation. Cell nuclei under strong drought stress lost their rounded shape, nuclear envelopes were destroyed, and at the end only a finely dispersed substance remained. Thus, under the combined action of drought and salt, there is some critical level of salt concentration in substrate above which the effect of NaCl changes to the adverse, which enhances the action of drought. Among structural components of mesophyll cells, the most sensitive parts to NaCl are nuclei and their chromatin.

PCR Amplification，Cloning and Sequencing of RbcL Coding Region in Mesophyll Cell and Bundle Sheath Cell of Sorghum（Sorghum bicolor L．）

The Primacy question addressed in our study is: Is the difterntial expression of rbcL gene in mesophyll cells and in bundle sheath cells related to the sequence of the gene per se?An enzymatic approach was fist established to separate the two groups of cells. Microscopic examination revealed satisfactory separation effect: minimal mutual contamination was found so that no mistake might be introduced into biochemical or molecular biological expeitments using such preparations. CpDNA were isolated from mesophyll cells and from bundle sheath cells and coding region of rbcL gene was obtained from each by PCR ampilfication.Cloning and sequencing were then done on them.Compartive analysis , however, revealed identical sequence, with a length of 1,368 bp, encoding 456 amino acids. Since sequences of the non-coding regions of rbcL gene in masephyll sad bundle sheath have not been obtained, it can not yet be concluded that the differential expression is not related to the sequence itself. Nevertheless,It sesems justifiable to infer that whatever difference there may be between the sequences of rbcL gene in two groups of cells can only be found in the non-coding regions(including promoter and the 3' down stream region).

Plant regeneration from mesophyll protoplast of indica rice Qiugui’ai 11 (Oryza sativa L.)

In the recent decade,plant regeneration fromprotoplast has been obtained through embryo-genic cell suspension cultures of rice.Howev-er,not only the establishment of embryogeniccell suspension cultures of rice was difficult,but also the protoplasts became less and lessregenerable and the genetic change was gradu-ally accumulated during the prolonged culture.Since 1976(Deka.),extensive efforts have

Understanding mechanisms for differential salinity tissue tolerance between quinoa and spinach:Zooming on ROS-inducible ion channels

Soil salinity is a wo rldwide issue and a major threat to global food security.Salinity tolerance is a complex mechanism that is conferred by numerous molecular,physiological,and biochemical traits.Of critical importance are plant's ability to regulate redox balance without compromising reactive oxygen species(ROS)signalling and maintain cytosolic ion homeostasis.In this study,the mechanistic basis of H^(+) retention ability in leaf mesophyll(an important but highly sensitive plant tissue)was compared between halophytic quinoa and glycophytic spinach.Phenotypic data showed quinoa outperformed spinach under 100 to 500 mmol L^(-1) NaCl salinity.The major difference behind this differential salinity sensitivity was a differential H^(+) uptake in leaf mesophyll.Electrophysiological and molecular experiments revealed that a superior ability of mesophyll H^(+) retention in quinoa was conferred by three complementary mechanisms:(ⅰ)an intrinsically lower H^(+)-ATPase activity in quinoa(potentially as an energy saving strategy);(ⅱ)reduced sensitivity of H^(+) transporters to ROS;and(ⅲ)increased sensitivity of ROS-inducible Ca^(2+)-permeable channels,Moreover,the sensitivity of H^(+)-transport systems to ROS was further examined in NaCl-acclimated quinoa and spinach plants.The key factors differentiating between H^(+) retention in acclimated leaf mesophyll was associated with the reduced sensitivity and gene expression of H^(+)-permeable outward rectifying channel(GORK),Arabidopsis potassium transporter 1(AKT1),and high affinity potassium transporter 5(HAK5)to additional NaCl and ROS stress,along with the upregulation of ROS scavenging system.Taken together,our results showed that the tissue-specific and ROS-specific regulation of H^(+) retention are important for conferring salinity tolerant at least in the halophyte quinoa.

VPD modifies CO_(2) fertilization effect on tomato plants via abscisic acid and jasmonic acid signaling pathways

Atmospheric CO_(2)concentration is elevated globally,which has“CO_(2)fertilization effects”and potentially improves plant photosynthesis,yield,and productivity.Despite the beneficial effect of CO_(2)fertilization being modulated by vapor pressure deficit(VPD),the underlying mechanism is highly uncertain.In the present study,the potential roles of hormones in determining CO_(2)fertilization effects under contrasting high and low VPD conditions were investigated by integrated physiological and transcriptomic analyses.Beneficial CO_(2)fertilization effects were offset under high VPD conditions and were constrained by plant water stress and photosynthetic CO_(2)utilization.High VPD induced a large passive water driving force,which disrupted the water balance and consequently caused plant water deficit.Leaf water potential,turgor pressure,and hydraulic conductance declined under high VPD stress.The physiological evidence combined with transcriptomic analyses demonstrated that abscisic acid(ABA)and jasmonic acid(JA)potentially acted as drought-signaling molecules in response to high VPD stress.Increased foliar ABA and JA content triggered stomatal closure to prevent excessive water loss under high VPD stress,which simultaneously increased the diffusion resistance for CO_(2)uptake from atmosphere to leaf intercellular space.High VPD also significantly increased mesophyll resistance for CO_(2)transport from stomatal cavity to fixation site inside chloroplast.The chloroplast“sink”CO_(2)availability was constrained by stomatal and mesophyll resistance under high VPD stress,despite the atmospheric“source”CO_(2)concentration being elevated.Thus,ABA-and JA-mediated drought-resistant mechanisms potentially modified the beneficial effect of CO_(2)fertilization on photosynthesis,plant growth,and yield productivity.This study provides valuable information for improving the utilization efficiency of CO_(2)fertilization and a better understanding of the physiological processes.

Plastid Signals and the Bundle Sheath： Mesophyll Development in Reticulate Mutants

The development of a plant leaf is a meticulously orchestrated sequence of events producing a complex organ comprising diverse cell types. The reticulate class of leaf variegation mutants displays contrasting pigmentation between veins and interveinal regions due to specific aberrations in the development of mesophyll cells. Thus, the reticulate mutants offer a potent tool to investigate cell-type-specific developmental processes. The discovery that most mutants are affected in plastid-localized, metabolic pathways that are strongly expressed in vasculature-associated tis- sues implicates a crucial role for the bundle sheath and their chloroplasts in proper development of the mesophyll cells. Here, we review the reticulate mutants and their phenotypic characteristics, with a focus on those in Arabidopsis thali- ana. Two alternative models have been put forward to explain the relationship between plastid metabolism and meso- phyll cell development, which we call here the supply and the signaling hypotheses. We critically assess these proposed models and discuss their implications for leaf development and bundle sheath function in C3 species. The characteriza- tion of the reticulate mutants supports the significance of plastid retrograde signaling in cell development and highlights the significance of the bundle sheath in C3 photosynthesis.

Mitochondrial Genome of Callus Protoplast Has a Role in Mesophyll Protoplast Regeneration in Citrus: Evidence From Transgenic GFP Somatic Homo-Fusion

Protoplast fusion has great potential in citrus improvement. Although citrus mesophyll protoplasts usually cannot divide and regenerate,symmetric protoplast fusion of embryogenic callus protoplast + mesophyll protoplast sometimes results in the regeneration of mesophyllparent-type cybrids. It suggested that mitochondrial DNA(mt DNA) from protoplasts of embryogenic callus parent plays an important role in stimulating division and regeneration of mesophyll protoplasts. Herein, somatic fusion was conducted via electrofusion between callus protoplasts isolated from Valencia orange [Citrus sinensis(L.) Osbeck] cell suspension cultures and transgenic GFP-tagged mesophyll protoplasts from the same genotype, i.e. transgenic Valencia orange plants containing the green fluorescent protein(GFP) gene, in an effort to elucidate whether mt DNA of callus line could stimulate the division and regeneration of mesophyll protoplasts from the same genotype. Two embryoids and one plantlet with GFP expression were successfully obtained and subsequent ploidy analysis by flow cytometry indicated that they were all diploids. The regenerated diploid embryoids and plantlet with GFP expression could be considered as ‘cybrids' with mt DNA from the callus protoplasts of Valencia orange. The result indicated that citrus mesophyll-parent-type cybrid regeneration needed the stimulation of mt DNA from protoplasts of embryogenic callus parent regardless of their origin either from another genotype or the same genotype as the mesophyll parent.

Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals widespread monoallelic gene expression in individual rice mesophyll cells

Monoallelic gene expression refers to the phenomenon that all transcripts of a gene in a cell are expressed from only one of the two alleles in a diploid organism. Although monoallelic gene expression has been occasionally reported with bulk transcriptome analysis in plants, how prevalent it is in individual plant cells remains unknown. Here, we developed a single-cell RNA-seq protocol in rice and investigated allelic expression patterns in mesophyll cells of indica （93-11 ） and japonica （Nipponbare） inbred lines, as well as their F1 reciprocal hybrids. We observed pervasive monoallelic gene expression in individual mesophyll cells, which could be largely explained by stochastic and independent transcription of two alleles. By con- trast, two mechanisms that were proposed previously based on bulk transcriptome analyses, parent-of- origin effects and allelic repression, were not well supported by our data. Furthermore, monoallelically expressed genes exhibited a number of characteristics, such as lower expression levels, narrower H3K4me3/H3K9acJH3K27me3 peaks, and larger expression divergences between 93-11 and Nipponbare. Taken together, the development of a single-cell RNA-seq protocol in this study offers us an excellent opportunity to investigate the origins and prevalence of monoallelic gene expression in plant cells.

THE KERATIN INTERMEDIATE FILAMENTLIKE SYSTEM IN THE PLANT MESOPHYLL CELLS

A delicate intermediate filament-like network of mesophyll cells was observed both in maize and tobacco, using selective extraction together with whole-mount cell preparation for electron microscopy. The filament of the network is about 10 nm in diameter. Further test using immuno-gold labeling with anti-keratin antibodies indicated that the component of the intermediate filament-like system was keratin-like protein. Such a keratin-like intermediate filament system existing in plant cells was demonstrated for the first time. Meanwhile, 3-nm size filaments and their connection with 10-nm filaments were also shown in maize and tobacco protoplasts.

Effects of light intensity on leaf microstructure and growth of rape seedlings cultivated under a combination of red and blue LEDs

The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth of rape （Brassica napus L.） seedlings under different light intensities to select appropriate conditions for cultivation in an indoor system. Seedlings were grown under different light intensities of red and blue light provided by light-emitting diodes （LEDs） and their self-adjustment ability and changes in leaf microstructure were evaluated. Light was supplied by red LEDs with peak wavelengths of 630 （R1） and 660 nm （R2） and by blue LEDs （B） with a peak wavelength of 445 nm （the light intensity ratio of R1：R2：B was 3：3：2）, at intensities of 400 （R1R2B400）, 300 （R1R2B300）, and 200 μmol m-2 s-1 （R1R2B200）. Natural solar light served as the control （C）. Plant height, stem diameter, root length, leaf area, and dry weight of rape seedlings gradually increased with increasing light intensity. The seedlings in the R1R2B400 treatment grew more vigorously, while those in the R1R2B200 treatment were weaker. The photosynthetic pigment contents did not differ significantly between the R1R2B400 treatment and C, but were significantly lower in the R1R2B300 and R1R2B200 treatments. The highest intercellular CO2concentration, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate were in the R1R2B300 treatment. The highest photosynthetic rate was in the R1R2B400 treatment, and was related to more compact leaves, thicker and tidier palisade and spongy tissues, and well-developed chloroplasts. In contrast, the seedlings in the R1R2B200 treatment had disordered mesophyll cells, round chloroplasts, and fractured and fuzzy grana lamellae, all of which inhibited plant growth. In conclusion, the seedlings in the R1R2B400 treatment had well-developed leaves, which favored photosynthesis. Compared with the light intensities below 300 μmol m-2 s-1, the light intensity of 400 μmol m-2 s-1 provided by a cembination of red and blue LEDs was beneficial for cultivating strong and healthy rape seedlings in an artificial system.

Varietal difference in the correlation between leaf nitrogen content and photosynthesis in rice(Oryza sativa L.) plants is related to specific leaf weight

Increasing leaf photosynthesis per area（A） is of great importance to achieve yield further improvement. The aim of this study was to exploit varietal difference in A and its correlation with specific leaf weight（SLW）. Twelve rice cultivars, including 6 indica and 6 japonica varieties, were pot-grown under two N treatments, low N（LN） and sufficient N（SN）. Leaf photosynthesis and related parameters were measured at tillering stage. Compared with LN treatment, A, stomatal conductance（g_s）, mesophyll conductance（g_m）, leaf N content（N_（area））, and chlorophyll content were significantly improved under SN treatment, while SLW and photosynthetic N use efficiency（PNUE） were generally decreased. Varietal difference in A was positively related to both g_s and g_m, but not related to N_（area）. This resulted in a low PNUE in high N_（area） leaves. Varietal difference in PNUE was generally negatively related to SLW. Response of PNUE to N supply varied among different rice cultivars, and interestingly, the decrease in PNUE under SN was negatively related to the decrease in SLW. With a higher N_（area）, japonica rice cultivars did not show a higher A than indica rice cultivars because of possession of high-SLW leaves. Therefore, varietal difference in A was not related to N_（area）, and SLW can substantially interfere with the correlation between A and N_（area）. These findings may provide useful information for rice breeders to maximize A and PNUE, rather than over reliance on N_（area） as an indicator of photosynthetic performance.