Articles
CHLOROPHYLL FLUORESCENCE: A NON-DESTRUCTIVE METHOD FOR DETECTING DAMAGE IN THE PHOTOSYNTHETIC APPARATUS IN PLANTS
Often this damage can not be detected by visual observations whereas many instrumental techniques are either destructive or less suitable for practical reasons.
Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence on intact leaves allows for a rapid assessment of the "photosynthetic condition" of plants.
Recently a new apparatus has become commercially available.
It offers the opportunity to measure the ratio of minimal fluorescence in the dark and maximal fluorescence induced by high-intensity light flashes.
A derivative of this ratio is a measure for the functioning of energy-transfer in the chloroplasts of intact leaves.
The measurements take only a few seconds and it is possible to test a large number of plants, for instance in screening genotypical variation for stress tolerance or in measuring product quality.
On a time scale of minutes and in combination with gas-exchange measurements, fluorescence kinetics provide valuable information on the interaction between stress factors and fundamental photosynthesis processes.
The application of chlorophyll fluorescence measurements is illustrated by two case studies:
- A fast detection method of cold damage in maize, applicable for breeding cold tolerant genotypes.
A single measurement takes only a few seconds. - An application to detect the effects of water stress on primary photosynthetic reactions.
A single measurement takes about 3 minutes.