Low Light Alters the Photosynthesis Process in Cigar Tobacco via Modulation of the Chlorophyll Content, Chlorophyll Fluorescence, and Gene Expression

Xiaoying Wu, Rayyan Khan, Huajun Gao, Haobao Liu, Juan Zhang and Xinghua Ma
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Xiaoying Wu: Key Laboratory of Tobacco Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
Rayyan Khan: Key Laboratory of Tobacco Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
Huajun Gao: Haikou Cigar Research Institute of Hainan Provincial Branch of China National Tobacco Corporation, Haikou 571100, China
Haobao Liu: Key Laboratory of Tobacco Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
Juan Zhang: Key Laboratory of Tobacco Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China
Xinghua Ma: Key Laboratory of Tobacco Biology and Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao 266101, China

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: Shading or low light (LL) conditions are a key and necessary cultivation technique in cigar wrapper tobacco production. However, the effect of low light on the photosynthesis in cigar tobacco is not clear. Therefore, this study is designed to know the photosynthesis of cigar tobacco under different light intensities (T200, T100, and T50 μmol m −2 s −1 ). The results reveal that under low light, T50 especially improved the light interception and increased carbon utilization, as witnessed by a higher specific leaf area and lower specific leaf weight. Low light intensity caused better light interception and carbon utilization in cigar tobacco leaves, and thus thinner leaves are more able to use low light efficiently. The chlorophyll content is related to the photosynthesis process; thus, LL affected the photosynthesis process by lowering the chlorophyll content. Similarly, LL also altered the photosynthetic efficiency by lowering the QY_Lss, qP_Lss, and Rfd_Lss. Additionally, higher expression of Lhcb4.2 , Lhcb6 , PsbA , PsbB , and PsbD under low light, especially T50, shows that the PSII and antenna proteins complex efficiently utilized the absorbed energy for photosynthesis. Finally, the lower photosynthesis, particularly in T50, is attributed to the downregulation of genes related to NADPH production ( petH ) and the rubisco enzyme synthesis-related gene ( rbcs ) for CO 2 fixation in the Calvin cycle. Overall, the results show that the photosynthesis is decreased under LL intensities which might be related to lower chlorophyll content and downregulation of petH and rbcs genes.

Keywords: light intensities; cigar tobacco; photosynthesis; chlorophyll fluorescence; gene expression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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