Photosynthesis and photoinhibition in two differently coloured varieties of Oxalis triangularis - the effect of anthocyanin content

The purpose of this study was to clarify effects of anthocyanins on photosynthesis and photoinhibition in green and red leaves of Oxalis triangularis. Gas analysis indicated that green plants had the highest apparent quantum yield for CO2 assimilation [0.051 vs. 0.031 mu mol(CO2) mu mol(-1)(photon)] and the highest maximum photosynthesis [10.07 vs. 7.24 mu mol(CO2) m(-2) s(-1)], while fluorescence measurements indicated that red plants had the highest PSII quantum yield [0.200 vs. 0.143 mu mol(e(-)) mu mol(-1)(photon)] and ETRmax [66.27 vs. 44.34 mu mol(e-) m(-2) s(-1)]. Red plants had high contents of anthocyanins [20.11 mg g(-1)(DM)], while green plants had low and undetectable levels of anthocyanin. Red plants also had statistically significantly (0.05>p>0.01) lower contents of xanthophyll cycle components [0.63 vs. 0.76 mg g(-1)(DM)] and higher activities of the reactive oxygen scavenging enzyme ascorbate peroxidase [41.2 vs. 10.0 nkat g(-1)(DM)]. Anthocyanins act as a sunscreen, protecting the chloroplasts from high light intensities. This shading effect causes a lower photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in red plants compared to green plants, but a higher quantum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII). Anthocyanins contribute to photoprotection, compensating for lower xanthophyll content in red plants, and red plants are less photoinhibited than green plants, as illustrated by the F-v/F-m ratio.