Abstract:
Hydroponic experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of sodium nitroprusside (SNP, an exogenous nitric oxide donor) on chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics in tomato seedlings under 100 mmol·L
-1 NaCl stress. The results show that SNP increase maximum fluorescence (
Fm), photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (
Fv/Fm), potential photochemical efficiency (
Fv/Fo), electron transport rate (
ETR), actual photochemical efficiency (
ΦPSⅡ), photochemical quenching coefficient (
qP) and photochemical efficiency (
Prate). However, SNP decreases minimal fluorescence (
Fo), non-photochemical quenching coefficient (
qN), antenna heat dissipation rate (
Drate), excitation pressure (1-
qP) and the deviation from full balance between PSⅠand PSⅡ(
β/α-1) in tomato seedlings under NaCl stress. This then suggests that nitric oxide reduces excess excitation dissipation, improves photochemical electron transport efficiency and efficiently protects tomato leaf from PSⅡdamage under salt stress.