Estimation of changes in the activity of photosynthetic apparatus of plant leaves based on half-time of fluorescence intensity decrease

Abstract

The range of variations in parameter τ0.5 – half-time of fluorescence intensity decrease during the slow phase of chlorophyll fluorescence induction (CFI) – has been studied during ontogeny of leaves of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants in plant communities of different structures. Plants were grown hydroponically on expanded clay aggregate in growth chambers, under PPFD of 400 μmol(photon) m–2 s–1, under controlled conditions. Analysis of the literature data and results of experimental observations of τ0.5 behavior compared to other CFI parameters, nonphotochemical quenching coefficient, qN, in particular, leads to the conclusion that parameter τ0.5 can be effectively used for indirect estimation of variations in the activity of photosynthetic apparatus during ontogeny of plant leaves.