Physiological and biochemical responses of Scytonema javanicum (cyanobacterium) to salt stress

Scytonema javanicum (Kutz.) Born et Flah (cyanobacterium) is one of the species distributed widely in the crust of desert soils regularly subjected to severe water stress. To investigate the response of the species to salt stress, many physiological and biochemical parameters, including growth rate, ratio of variable fluorescence to maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm), reactive oxidative species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), were determined in culture. The results showed that 50 mM NaCl inhibited growth and Fv/Fm in the medium BG-110, and that the inhibition was maximum after 1-2 days' exposure to salt stress; 50 mM NaCl also increased the contents of ROS and MDA in treated cells, which suggests that salt stress may lead to oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation in the alga. Further, changes in the antioxidative enzymes SOD and CAT in the treated alga were consistent with changes in ROS and MDA at certain extent. These observations suggest that oxidative stress resulting from salt stress in S. javanicum could result in the production of antioxidative enzymes to counteract the oxidative damage, and the enzymes may contribute to the ability of S. javanicum to survive the adverse desert environment. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

变水处理与短期遮荫对作物水分利用效率的影响

变水处理与短期遮荫对棉花水分利用效率的影响研究表明 ,在充分供水 -水分胁迫 -复水的变水处理过程中 ,短期遮荫使净光合速率、蒸腾速率、水分利用效率降低 ;光照 -遮荫 -光照期间 ,总的水分利用效率以水分胁迫的最高 ,充分供水的次之 ,复水处理最低 ,其中遮荫 40 %的水分利用效率高于遮荫 75%的处理 .回归分析表明 ,水分利用效率与光合速率表现出极显著正相关 ,两者回归直线的斜率随水分胁迫而增大 ,而水分利用效率与蒸腾速率的关系较弱 ,多数处理两者相关达不到显著水平