Herbicides which Inhibit Electron Transport or Produce Chlorosis and Their Effect on Chloroplast Development in Radish Seedlings I. Chlorophyll a Fluorescence Transients and Photosystem II Activity

Diuron and bentazon are very strong inhibitors of the photosynthetic electron transport in isolated radish chloroplasts. The chlorosis producing herbicide SAN 6706 also inhibited the photosystem II dependent oxygen evolution. Aminotriazole had no effect. The inhibitor concentration for 50% inhibition of photosystem II activity was 10-7 m for diuron and 10-4 m for bentazon and SAN 6706 respectively. Diuron and bentazon quenched the chlorophyll a fluorescence transients in isolated radish chloroplasts drastically, while aminotriazole was not effective. It was of particular interest that the bleaching herbicide SAN 6706 inhibited photosystem II dependent oxygen evolution in a similar concentration as bentazon but had no effect on the chlorophyll a-fluorescence transients suggesting that SAN 6706 is not binding to the same site of the electron transport chain as diuron and bentazon. Apart from their direct influence on electron transport in isolated photosynthetically active chloroplasts the photosystem II and bleaching herbicides assayed also strongly affected photosynthesis in radish seedlings that were grown in the presence of the herbicides for a long time. As already obtained using isolated chloroplasts, photosystem II dependent oxygen evolution like the chlorophyll a fluorescence transients were strongly inhibited by the photosystem II herbicides diuron and bentazon. A reduction but no inhibition o f photosystem II activity was observed in plants that were grown in the presence o f aminotriazole. The pyridazinone SAN 6706 was behaving contradictory. In partly green plants photosystem II activity was still maintained and even higher than in untreated plants while in albinistic plants no photosynthetic activity was detected.