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ABSTRACT
Potassium (K) plays important roles in leaf photosynthesis, and the K-efficient rice genotype (HA) could maintain a significantly higher net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and stomatal conductance (Gs) at low K (5 mg K L−1) than the K-inefficient genotype (TLHZ). As compared to K-inefficient genotype (TLHZ), the K-efficient genotype (HA) was found to be able to maintain higher PSII-available photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm), electron transport rate of PSII (ETR), and photochemical quenching (qP), but a smaller value of the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) when grown at low K. In addition, better preserved chloroplast ultrastructure was noted in HA than in TLHZ under K deficiency. These results indicate that the K-efficient genotype has greater ability to keep PS reaction center less damaged and maintain stronger photosynthetic ability with high resistance to photoinhibition under K deficiency. The high efficient photochemical capacity in K-efficient genotypes may be a key factor for high K efficiency in rice.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The study was financially supported by a Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (# IRT0536), and the key International Cooperative Project from Science Ministry of China (#2006DFA31030). The authors are grateful to Prof. Junying Li from the Center of Analysis & Measurement of Zhejiang University for her kind help in the Transmission Electron Microscope analyses of the plant samples.