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The response of Vicia faba to enhanced UV-B radiation under low and near ambient PAR levels

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Abstract

The effects of enhanced UV-B are often overestimated in greenhouse studies due to low levels of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). For this reason, we studied effects of enhanced UV-B (12 kJ m−2 d−1) at low and near ambient PAR levels on young vegetative plants of Vicia faba, in the greenhouse. It was hypothesized that near ambient PAR levels could reduce the negative UV-B effects on growth, due to higher amounts of UV-B absorbing compounds in the leaves and to morphological changes attenuating UV-B damage.

We found that effects of enhanced UV-B on the growth were not negative. We found an increase in biomass in response to enhanced UV-B at low and near ambient PAR levels. The increase in biomass was related to increased branching, which leads to a higher interception of PAR. Enhanced irradiance of both PAR and UV-B had similar photomorphogenic effects: thicker and smaller leaves and reduced plant height and internode length. Moreover, the concentration of UV-B absorbing compounds was increased. We conclude that in this study effects of enhanced UV-B were mainly photomorphogenic effects, which were also induced by radiation in the PAR region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Systems Ecology, Institute of Ecological Science, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    B.B. Meijkamp, G. Doodeman & J. Rozema

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  1. B.B. Meijkamp
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  2. G. Doodeman
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  3. J. Rozema
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Meijkamp, B., Doodeman, G. & Rozema, J. The response of Vicia faba to enhanced UV-B radiation under low and near ambient PAR levels. Plant Ecology 154, 135–146 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012940110538

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