RESUMO
A pot experiment was conducted to study the influence of different concentration (0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg kg(-1)) Ni and Cu on the growth, photosynthesis, and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of Peganum harmala seedlings. With increasing concentration Ni in the medium, the seedlings growth parameters, photosynthetic pigment content, net photosynthetic rate (P(n)), stomatal conductance (G(s)), transpiration rate (T(r)), maximal photochemical efficiency of PS II (F(v)/F(m)), quantum efficiency of electric transport of PS II (phi (PS II)), and coefficient of photochemical quenching (q(P)) of P. harmala decreased significantly, while the intercellular CO2 concentration (C(i)) and the coefficient of non-photochemical quenching (q(N)) were in adverse. The decrease of P(n) under Ni stress was mainly caused by non-stomatal limitation. At 50 mg kg(-1) Cu, the growth parameters, photosynthetic pigment content, P(n), G(s), T(r), C(i), F(v)/F(m), phi(PS II), and q(P) reached their peak values; at 100 mg kg(-1) Cu, the growth parameters, chlorophyll a and b contents, P(n), G(s), T(r), C(i), and F(v)/F(m) were still slightly higher than the control; while with the further increasing Cu concentration in the medium, all the test indices except q(N) tended to decrease. The decrease of P(n) under Cu stress was mainly caused by stomatal limitation.
