Ultrasound irradiation effect on photosynthesis and transpiration of aquatic lirium plants

Abstract

Purpose

To find possible causes of the photobaric response decrease in photoacoustic measurements on Aquatic Lirium plants after ultrasonic irradiations reported elsewhere contributing to understanding the effect of ultrasonic irradiation on them and searching for environmentally friendly methodologies to control this weed.

Materials and Methods

The plants were extracted from their natural habitat in Xochimilco water canals, Mexico City. The irradiations on the plants were carried out to 2 hours exposure time, 17 kHz frequency, and 30 W x 4 output power. We used the photoacoustic spectroscopy technique at room temperature in the range of 400–750 nm to analyze the optical absorption response of photosynthetic pigments before and after ultrasonic irradiations. To monitor the leave transpiration rate, we used an LI-COR 6400XT portable system, expressed in units of mols H₂O per second per unit area of the leaf surface.

Results

We obtained a significant decrease of the chlorophylls bands amplitude in the photoacoustic spectroscopy spectra and a drastic reduction in the leaves transpiration rate of irradiated plants that depends on the time elapsed after irradiation. Remarkable physical changes in the leaves and petioles of the irradiated plants were observed with the naked eye.

Conclusions

A significantly decreasing photosynthesis and transpiration in the leaves of the irradiated lirium plants were obtained. Together with the observed physical changes in the leaves and petioles, these results suggest an alteration in the water transport and the overall gas exchange mechanisms affecting the irradiated leaves' transpiration and photosynthesis processes that agree with the photobaric response decrease reported elsewhere. Due to the fundamental role of stomata in these mechanisms, it is suggested, as a possible cause, that the ultrasonic-induced disruption of stomata's mechanical operation by guard cells prevents them from performing their function normally. A hypothesis to be confirmed in future studies, for which a line of action is proposed.

Keywords:

• Ultrasound
• plants
• photobiology

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful for the support provided by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT), México; Secretaría de Investigación y Posgrado (SIP) from Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), México; and Comisión de Fomento de Actividades Académicas (COFAA-IPN), México.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

José Antonio Calderón

José A. Calderón received a Ph.D. degree in Physics from the Center of Research and Advanced Studies, Mexico. He is a member of the National Researchers System of Mexico and the Mexican Academy of Sciences. He served as a professor in the biophysics department of the Biotechnology Center and in the Research Center of Applied Science and Advanced Technology, National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico. His research is mainly oriented to heat transfer, spectroscopy techniques, and optical and ultrasonic effects on matter.

Jeniffer Yeismar Calderón

Jeniffer Y. Calderón is a college graduate in electronic engineering from the Francisco de Paula Santander University, Cúcuta, Colombia. She holds an M. S. and Ph. D. degrees from the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico. She is currently a college professor and researcher in scientific instrumentation. His research work is mainly oriented to instrumentation, ultrasound, and photosynthesis.

Alejandro Rojas

Alejandro Rojas is a college graduate in biotechnology and holds an M. S. degree from the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico. He is currently a Ph.D. student at the same Institute. His research interests include the optical and thermal characterization of organic and inorganic samples.

Joel Hernández-Wong

Joel Hernández-Wong received his Ph.D. degree from the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico. He is currently a researcher from the Chairs-Program from the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico. His research interests include modeling and simulating Multiphysics phenomena, photothermal phenomena, sensors, and thermoacoustics.

Uriel Nogal

Uriel Nogal received the M. S. and Ph.D. Degrees from the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico. He received the Best Master’s Thesis Price in 2013 from the same Institute. He is currently a researcher from the Chairs-Program from the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico. His research work is mainly oriented to photothermal techniques, photoacoustic spectroscopy, and synthesis and materials characterization.

Ernesto Marin

Ernesto Marin received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Physics from the Technische Universität Dresden, Germany, and the Ph.D. degree from the Havana University, Cuba. He is a member of the National Researchers System of Mexico and the Mexican Academy of Sciences. His research work is mainly oriented to photothermal techniques and their applications for spectroscopy, calorimetry, microscopy, and imaging.

Antonio Gustavo Juárez-Gracia

Antonio G. Juárez-Grácia is a college graduate in electronic engineering and holds an MSc and Ph.D. degrees from the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico. He served as a professor in the computer science college and currently works as a researcher in the Advanced Technology Program of the National Polytechnic Institute. He is a member of the National Researchers System of Mexico. His research is mainly oriented to instrumentation and materials science.

Gabriel Peña-Rodríguez

Gabriel Peña-Rodriguez received a Ph.D. degree from the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico. In 2004 he received the Best Doctoral Thesis Price from the same Institute. He currently works as a researcher in the Research Group on Instrumentation and Physics of Condensed Matter of the Francisco de Paula Santander University, Cúcuta, Colombia. His research is mainly oriented to materials science and applied physics.

José Bruno Rojas-Trigos

José B. Rojas-Trigos received a Ph.D. degree from the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico. He made a postdoctoral stay at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies, Mexico. He is a member of the National System of Researchers of Mexico. His research is mainly oriented to the development of heat diffusion models and the characterization of transport properties.