干旱是影响作物生长发育和产量的最主要非生物胁迫之一,在气候变化背景下,作物遭受干旱胁迫的风险越来越大。为了应对干旱,作物表现出一系列的抵御机制,包括形态特征和生理生化（抗氧化酶、渗透调节物质、内源激素）特性改变。本研究从上述2个方面总结了作物对干旱胁迫的响应机制,并对提高作物抗旱能力的调控措施进行了论述,主要包括：（1）筛选抗旱性品种,促进对深层土壤贮水的吸收利用;（2）地面覆盖,有利于降低土壤蒸发,增加土壤含水量;（3）节水灌溉技术,如微喷灌、滴灌等灌溉方式能实现少量多次灌溉,根区局部灌溉有利于调节气孔关闭,减少奢侈蒸腾,降低土壤蒸发;（4）抗蒸腾剂,在作物枝干及叶面表层形成超薄透光的保护膜,抑制作物水分过度蒸腾;（5）植物生长调节剂,调控植物生理代谢,增强抗旱性;（6）纳米肥料,改变作物生理生化反应,促进植株生长发育;（7）生物炭,有利于土壤通气保水,改善土壤的物理性质和土壤的持水能力。本研究系统地对以上7种措施提高作物抗旱能力的作用机理、应用前景及存在问题进行了论述,以期为应对干旱胁迫提供理论依据和技术参考。

Background: Drought is one of the major factors limiting global maize production. Exposure to long-term drought conditions inhibits growth and leads to yield losses. Although several drought-responsive genes have been identified and functionally analyzed, the mechanisms underlying responses to drought and water recovery treatments have not been fully elucidated. To characterize how maize seedling respond to drought stress at the transcriptional level, we analyzed physiological responses and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the inbred line B73 under water deficit and recovery conditions.Results: The data for relative leaf water content, leaf size, and photosynthesis-related parameters indicated that drought stress significantly repressed maize seedling growth. Further RNA sequencing analysis revealed that 6107 DEGs were responsive to drought stress and water recovery, with more down-regulated than up-regulated genes. Among the DEGs, the photosynthesis-and hormone-related genes were enriched in responses to drought stress and re-watering. Additionally, transcription factor genes from 37 families were differentially expressed among the three analyzed time-points. Gene ontology enrichment analyses of the DEGs indicated that 50 GO terms, including those related to photosynthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, oxidoreductase activities, nutrient metabolism and other drought-responsive pathways, were over-represented in the drought-treated seedlings. The content of gibberellin in drought treatment seedlings was decreased compared to that of control seedlings, while abscisic acid showed accumulated in the drought treated plants. The deep analysis of DEGs related to cell wall development indicated that these genes were prone to be down-regulated at drought treatment stage.Conclusions: Many genes that are differentially expressed in responses to drought stress and water recovery conditions affect photosynthetic systems and hormone biosynthesis. The identified DEGs, especially those encoding transcription factors, represent potential targets for developing drought-tolerant maize lines.

A number of useful photosynthetic parameters are commonly derived from saturation pulse-induced fluorescence analysis. We show, that qP, an estimate of the fraction of open centers, is based on a pure 'puddle' antenna model, where each Photosystem (PS) II center possesses its own independent antenna system. This parameter is incompatible with more realistic models of the photosynthetic unit, where reaction centers are connected by shared antenna, that is, the so-called 'lake' or 'connected units' models. We thus introduce a new parameter, qL, based on a Stern-Volmer approach using a lake model, which estimates the fraction of open PS II centers. We suggest that qL should be a useful parameter for terrestrial plants consistent with a high connectivity of PS II units, whereas some marine species with distinct antenna architecture, may require the use of more complex parameters based on intermediate models of the photosynthetic unit. Another useful parameter calculated from fluorescence analysis is ΦII, the yield of PS II. In contrast to qL, we show that the ΦII parameter can be derived from either a pure 'lake' or pure 'puddle' model, and is thus likely to be a robust parameter. The energy absorbed by PS II is divided between the fraction used in photochemistry, ΦII, and that lost non-photochemically. We introduce two additional parameters that can be used to estimate the flux of excitation energy into competing non-photochemical pathways, the yield induced by downregulatory processes, ΦNPQ, and the yield for other energy losses, ΦNO.

A blue diode PAM (Pulse Amplitude Modulation) fluorometer was used to measure rapid Photosynthesis (P) versus Irradiance (E) curves (P vs. E curves) in Synechococcus (classical cyanobacteria), Prochlorothrix (prochlorophyta), Chlorella (chlorophyta), Rhodomonas (cryptophyta), Phaeodactylum (bacillariophyta) Acaryochloris (Chl d/a cyanobacteria) and Subterranean Clover (Trifolium subterraneum, Papilionaceae, Angiospermae). Effective quantum yield (Phi(PSII)) versus irradiance curves could be described by a simple exponential decay function (Phi(PSII) = Phi(PSII, maxe(-kE)) although Log/Log transformation was sometimes found to be necessary to obtain the best fits. Photosynthesis was measured as relative Electron Transport Rate (rETR) standardised on a chlorophyll basis. P versus E curves were fitted to the waiting-in-line function (an equation of the form P = P(max) x k x E x e(-kE)) allowing half-saturating and optimal irradiances (E(optimum)) to be estimated. The second differential of the equation shows that at twice optimal light intensities, there is a point of inflection in the P versus E curve. Photosynthesis is inhibited 26.4% at this point of inflection. The waiting-in-line model was found to be a very good descriptor of photosynthetic light saturation curves and superior to hyperbolic functions with an asymptotic saturation point (Michaelis-Menten, exponential saturation and hyperbolic tangent). The exponential constants (k) of the Phi(PSII) versus E and P versus E curves should be equal because rETR is directly proportional to Phi(PSII) x E. The conventionally calculated Non-Photochemical Quenching (NPQ) in Synechococcus was not significantly different to zero but NPQ versus E curves for the other algae could be fitted to an exponential saturation model. The kinetics of NPQ does not appear to be related to the kinetics of Phi(PSII) or rETR.

光合电子流对光响应的机理可以揭示植物光合电子流与光强、植物捕光色素分子物理特性之间的关系。该文讨论了光合电子流对光响应的机理模型的特性以及捕光色素分子的物理性质, 并利用此模型拟合了山莴苣(Lagedium sibiricum)、一年蓬(Erigeron annuus)和紫菀(Aster tataricus)的光合电子流对光响应的曲线。由此模型不仅可以得到植物的最大光合电子流、饱和光强、初始斜率等参数, 还可以获得捕光色素分子有效光能吸收截面和处于最低激发态的捕光色素分子数对光的响应关系。结果表明: 随光强的增加, 山莴苣的捕光色素分子的有效光能吸收截面下降最快, 紫苑的下降速度最慢; 山莴苣处于最低激发态的捕光色素分子数增长速度最快, 紫苑的增长速度最小。捕光色素分子的有效光能吸收截面随光强增加而下降、处于最低激发态的捕光色素分子数随光强增加而增加的特性将减少其光能的吸收和激子的传递, 因而有利于减少强光对植物产生的光伤害。

为从能量平衡及分配的角度研究干旱胁迫下甘蔗(Saccharum officinarum)苗期光系统的运转状况, 进而为丰富不同甘蔗品种的抗旱性评价指标及实现对季节性干旱胁迫的快速诊断提供理论依据, 该研究通过对基于Lake模型的叶绿素荧光参数在不同入射光强下变化的动态分析, 研究光合电子传递链中能量平衡状态对不同水分梯度(40%、25%、10%、8%)的响应。结果表明: 两个供试品种(耐旱品种‘ROC22’和非耐旱品种‘ROC16’)的最大光能利用效率(F_v/F_m)、相对电子传递速率(rETR)、光系统II(PSII)量子效率(Φ_II)和光化学猝灭(q_L)均随着干旱胁迫程度的增加而下降, 可调节性能量耗散(Φ_NPQ)和非调节性能量耗散(Φ_NO)则随着干旱胁迫程度的增加而上升。除Φ_NO之外的叶绿素荧光参数的变化幅度均随着光合有效辐射(PAR)的增加而增大。在干旱胁迫的前中期, 相对于‘ROC22’, ‘ROC16’的PSII反应中心能够维持较高的开放程度; 但‘ROC22’调节能量耗散的能力和对干旱胁迫的敏感程度均高于‘ROC16’, 说明较强的光保护能力是‘ROC22’的抗旱性高于‘ROC16’的主要原因之一。对干旱胁迫敏感且在不同PAR下较为稳定的Φ_NO可作为甘蔗苗期抗旱性的快速诊断和评价指标。rETR对递增的PAR的响应表现为随着干旱胁迫程度的增加而提前出现峰值或下降趋势, 但是不同水分梯度下的rETR在PAR较低时并无显著差异, 表明干旱胁迫下光抑制现象的提早出现是造成光系统损伤的首要因素, 高光强对干旱胁迫信号起放大作用。

Plants in natural environments must cope with diverse, highly dynamic, and unpredictable conditions. They have mechanisms to enhance the capture of light energy when light intensity is low, but they can also slow down photosynthetic electron transport to prevent the production of reactive oxygen species and consequent damage to the photosynthetic machinery under excess light. Plants need a highly responsive regulatory system to balance the photosynthetic light reactions with downstream metabolism. Various mechanisms of regulation of photosynthetic electron transport under stress have been proposed, however the data have been obtained mainly under environmentally stable and controlled conditions. Thus, our understanding of dynamic modulation of photosynthesis under dramatically fluctuating natural environments remains limited. In this review, first I describe the magnitude of environmental fluctuations under natural conditions. Next, I examine the effects of fluctuations in light intensity, CO2 concentration, leaf temperature, and relative humidity on dynamic photosynthesis. Finally, I summarize photoprotective strategies that allow plants to maintain the photosynthesis under stressful fluctuating environments. The present work clearly showed that fluctuation in various environmental factors resulted in reductions in photosynthetic rate in a stepwise manner at every environmental fluctuation, leading to the conclusion that fluctuating environments would have a large impact on photosynthesis.