Abstract
Leaves of Vicia faba were collected from the field and the greenhouse and transmittance of epidermal peels from adaxial and abaxial sides was determined in the wavelength range from 250 to 800 nm using a spectrophotometer equipped for the measurement of turbid samples. From the same leaves, epidermal transmittance was estimated by a recently developed fluorometric method. Both methods gave highly correlated results with a slope of the regression line between both methods close to 1 and an intercept close to 0. Transmittances at around 310 nm as low as 3% were detected in the adaxial epidermis of field-grown leaves, while transmittance could be as high as 70% in the abaxial epidermis of greenhouse-grown leaves. There was a strong correlation between UV-A (ca. 366 nm) and UV-B (ca. 310 nm) transmittance detected by both methods which could be explained by the pigment composition in methanolic extracts where flavonols accounted for 90% of the absorption at 310 nm in the extract, while hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives which absorb only at the shorter wavelength constituted about 5%. It is concluded that the fluorescence method which allows rapid measurements on intact leaves can provide a quantitative estimate of epidermal transmittance for UV-B (280–320 nm) and UV-A (320–400 nm) radiation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barnes PW, Searles PS, Ballaré CL, Ryel RJ and Caldwell MM (2000) Non-invasive measurements of leaf epidermal transmittance of UV radiation using chlorophyll fluorescence: Field and laboratory studies. Physiol Plant 109: 274–283
Beggs CJ and Wellmann E (1994) Photocontrol of flavonoid biosynthesis. In: Kendrick RE and Kronenberg GHM (eds) Photomorphogenesis in Plants, pp 733–751. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands
Bilger W and Björkman O (1990) Role of the xanthophyll cycle in photoprotection elucidated by measurements of light-induced absorbance changes, fluorescence and photosynthesis in leaves of Hedera canariensis. Photosynth Res 25: 173–185
Bilger W, Veit M, Schreiber L and Schreiber U (1997) Measurement of leaf epidermal transmittance of UV radiation by chlorophyll fluorescence. Physiol Plant 101: 754–763
Björkman O (1987) Low-temperature chlorophyll fluorescence in leaves and its relationship to photon yield of photosynthesis in photoinhibition. In: Kyle DJ, Osmond CB and Arntzen CJ (eds) Photoinhibition, pp 123–144. Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam
Björkman O and Demmig B (1987) Photon yield of O2 evolution and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics at 77 K among vascular plants of diverse origins. Planta 170: 489–504
Bornman JF and Vogelmann TC (1988) Penetration of blue and UV radiation measured by fiber optics in spruce and fir needles. Physiol Plant 72: 699–705
Bornman JF, Reuber S, Cen Y-P and Weissenböck G (1997) Ultraviolet radiation as a stress factor and the role of protective pigments. In: Lumsden PJ (ed) Plants and UV-B: Responses to Environmental Change, pp 157–168. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
Burchard P, Bilger W and Weissenböck G (2000) Contribution of hydroxycinnamates and flavonoids to epidermal shielding of UV-A and UV-B radiation in developing rye primary leaves as assessed by UV-induced chlorophyll fluorescence measurements. Plant Cell Environ 23: 1373–1380
Caldwell MM (1981) Plant response to solar ultraviolet radiation. In: Lange OL, Nobel P, Osmond CB and Ziegler H (eds) Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, Vol 12A, pp 169–197. Springer-Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg/New York
Caldwell MM, Robberecht R and Flint SD (1983) Internal filters: Prospects for UV-acclimation in higher plants. Physiol Plant 58: 445–450
Cockell CS and Knowland J (1999) Ultraviolet radiation screening compounds. Biol Rev Cambr Phil Soc 74: 311–345
Day TA (1993) Relating UV-B radiation screening effectiveness of foliage to absorbing-compound concentration and anatomical characteristics in a diverse group of plants. Oecologia 95: 542–550
Day TA, Vogelmann TC and DeLucia EH (1992) Are some plant life forms more effective than others in screening out ultraviolet-B radiation? Oecologia 92: 513–519
Hahlbrock K and Scheel D (1989) Physiology and molecular biology of phenylpropanoid metabolism. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 40: 347–369
Jansen MAK, Gaba V and Greenberg BM (1998) Higher plants and UV-B radiation: Balancing damage, repair and acclimation. Trends Plant Sci 3: 131–135
Jordan BR (1996) The effects of ultraviolet-B radiation on plants: A molecular perspective. In: Callow JA (ed) Advances in Botanical Research Incorporating Advances in Plant Pathology, Vol 22, pp 97–162. Academic Press, New York
Joshi MK and Mohanty P (1995) Probing photosynthetic performance by chlorophyll a fluorescence – analysis and interpretation of fluorescence parameters. J Sci Ind Res 54: 155–174
Krauss P, Markstädter C and Riederer M (1997) Attenuation of UV radiation by plant cuticles from woody species. Plant Cell Environ 20: 1079–1085
Landry LG, Chapple CCS and Last RL (1995) Arabidopsis mutants lacking phenolic sunscreens exhibit enhanced ultraviolet-B injury and oxidative damage. Plant Physiol 109: 1159–1166
Lautenschlager-Fleury D (1955) Ñber die Ultraviolettdurchlässigkeit von Blattepidermen. Ber Schweiz Bot Ges 65: 343–386
Mabry TJ, Markham KR and Thomas MB (1970) The Systematic Identification of Flavonoids. Springer-Verlag, Berlin/ Heidelberg/New York
Ruhland CT and Day TA (1996) Changes in UV-B radiation screening effectiveness with leaf age in Rhododendron maximum. Plant Cell Environ 19: 740–746
Schreiber U, Bilger W and Neubauer C (1994) Chlorophyll fluorescence as a nonintrusive indicator for rapid assessment of in vivo photosynthesis. In: Schulze E-D and Caldwell MM (eds) Ecophysiology of Photosynthesis, Vol 100, pp 49–70. Springer-Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg/New York
Sheahan JJ (1996) Sinapate esters provide greater UV-B attenuation than flavonoids in Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae). Am J Bot 83: 679–686
Sullivan JH, Howells BW, Ruhland CT and Day TA (1996) Changes in leaf expansion and epidermal screening effectiveness in Liquidambar styraciflua and Pinus taeda in response to UV-B radiation. Physiol Plant 98: 349–357
Weissenböck G, Schnabl H, Sachs G, Elbert C and Heller FO (1984) Flavonol content of guard cells and mesophyll cell protoplasts isolated from Vicia faba leaves. Physiol Plant 62: 356–362
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Markstädter, C., Queck, I., Baumeister, J. et al. Epidermal transmittance of leaves of Vicia faba for UV radiation as determined by two different methods. Photosynthesis Research 67, 17–25 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010676111026
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010676111026