Photosynthetica 2001, 39(1):103-109 | DOI: 10.1023/A:1012404204910

Influence of Potassium Deficiency on Photosynthesis, Chlorophyll Content, and Chloroplast Ultrastructure of Cotton Plants

Duli Zhao1, D.M. Oosterhuis1, C.W. Bednarz2
1 Altheimer Laboratory, Department of Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, USA
2 Crop and Soil Science Department, University of Georgia, Tifton, USA

In cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) grown in controlled-environment growth chamber the effects of K deficiency during floral bud development on leaf photosynthesis, contents of chlorophyll (Chl) and nonstructural saccharides, leaf anatomy, chloroplast ultrastructure, and plant dry matter accumulation were studied. After cotton plants received 35-d K-free nutrient solution at the early square stage, net photosynthetic rate (PN) of the uppermost fully expanded main-stem leaves was only 23 % of the control plants receiving a full K supply. Decreased leaf PN of K-deficient cotton was mainly associated with dramatically low Chl content, poor chloroplast ultrastructure, and restricted saccharide translocation, rather than limited stomata conductance in K-deficient leaves. Accumulation of sucrose in leaves of K-deficient plants might be associated with reduced entry of sucrose into the transport pool or decreased phloem loading. K deficiency during squaring also dramatically reduced leaf area and dry matter accumulation, and affected assimilate partitioning among plant tissues.

Additional key words: Gossypium hirsutum; intercellular CO2 concentration; net photosynthetic rate; non-structural saccharides; photosynthate translocation; stomata conductance; transpiration rate

Published: March 1, 2001  Show citation

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Zhao, D., Oosterhuis, D.M., & Bednarz, C.W. (2001). Influence of Potassium Deficiency on Photosynthesis, Chlorophyll Content, and Chloroplast Ultrastructure of Cotton Plants. Photosynthetica39(1), 103-109. doi: 10.1023/A:1012404204910
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