High-Light Stress does not Impair Biomass Accumulation of Sun-Acclimated Tropical Tree Seedlings (Calophyllum longifolium Willd. and Tectona grandis L. f.)

Abstract

Studies with seedlings of tropical rainforest trees (Calophyllum longifolium Willd.; Tectona grandis L. f.) were designed to test whether high-light stress affects photosynthetic performance and growth. Seedlings were cultivated in pots at a field site in Central Panama (9°N) and separated into two groups: (1) plants exposed to full solar radiation; (2) plants subjected to automatic neutral shading (48 %) whenever visible irradiance surpassed 1000, 1200, or 1600 µmol photons m^-2 s^-1. After 2 - 4 months, chlorophyll fluorescence (F_v/F_m ratio), photosynthetic net CO₂ uptake, pigment composition, α-tocopherol content of leaves, and plant biomass accumulation were measured. Fully sun-exposed, compared to periodically shaded plants, experienced substantial high-light stress around midday, indicated by photoinhibition of photosystem II and depressed net CO₂ uptake. Higher contents of xanthophyll cycle pigments, lutein, and α-tocopherol showed an enhancement of photoprotection in fully sun-exposed plants. However, in all experiments, the maximum capacity of net CO₂ uptake and plant dry mass did not differ significantly between the two treatments. Thus, in these experiments, high-light stress did not impair productivity of the seedlings studied. Obviously, the continuously sun-exposed plants were capable of fully compensating for any potential costs associated with photoinhibition and repair of photosystem II, reduced CO₂ assimilation, and processes of high-light acclimation.

Key words

Biomass accumulation - CO₂ assimilation - midday depression - photoinhibition of photosystem II - α-tocopherol - xanthophyll cycle - Calophyllum longifolium Willd. - Tectona grandis L. f

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Editor: W. W. Adams III