Phytotoxic Action of Paraquat on the Photosynthetic Apparatus

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Abstract
Treatment of microalgae (Bumilleriopsis) with paraquat (1,1-dimethyl-4,4-dipyridylium dichloride) under culture conditions in the light for 20 or 160 h leads to light-induced oxygen uptake and more or less severe chlorophyll bleaching, which is accompanied by formation of malondial-dehyde. The ratio of chlorophyll to packed chloroplast volume remains about the same as that of the control, presumably indicating destruction of membranes concurrently with pigments. Unre­lated to retardation of growth, degree of bleaching or to the formation of malondialdehyde quite a uniform degree of inactivation (≈ 50%) of partial redox reactions is observed in the region of photosystem II and I except for the terminal part of photosystem I (pigment 700 → NADP+) . The action of paraquat in the cell centers primarily on the photosynthetic membrane system and redox chain.

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