Comparison of the Effect of High Light Intensity on the Response of Solanum lycopersicum and Arabidopsis thaliana to Low Temperature

This study compares the effect of light intensity on the responses of two plants with different cold tolerance – tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and on model plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana Col 0) to several days' treatment by low temperature and after recovery at control conditions. Net photosynthetic rate was evaluated by oxygen evolution from leaf discs. The photosynthetic performance was assessed by the maximal quantum efficiency of photosystem II and the degree of non-photochemical and non-regulated quenching. Malondialdehyde accumulation was used as a stress indicator and synthesis and accumulation of anthocyanins as an indicator for activation of defense mechanism. The results demonstrated that in Arabidopsis plants the high light treatment at control and low temperature increased non-regulated quenching but, in tomato plants the balance between both quenching mechanisms was maintained.