Measurement of differences in red chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic activity between sun and shade leaves by fluorescence imaging

With a flash-lamp chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence imaging system (FL-FIS) the photosynthetic activity of several thousand image points of intact shade and sun leaves of beech were screened in a non-destructive way within a few seconds. The photosynthetic activity was determined via imaging the Chi fluorescence at maximum F-p and steady state fluorescence F-s of the induction kinetics (Kautsky effect) and by a subsequent determination of the images of the fluorescence decrease ratio R-Fd and the ratio F-p/F-s. Both fluorescence ratios are linearly correlated to the photosynthetic CO2 fixation rates. This imaging method permitted to detect the gradients in photosynthetic capacity and the patchiness of photosynthetic quantum conversion across the leaf. Sun leaves of beech showed a higher photosynthetic capacity and differential pigment ratios (Chl a/b and Chls/carotenoids) than shade leaves. Profile analysis and histogram of the Chl fluorescence yield and the Chl fluorescence ratios allow to quantify the differences in photosynthetic activity between different leaf parts and between sun and shade leaves with a high statistical significance.