Effects of iron deficiency stress on the photosynthetic characteristics and organelle iron content of strawberry seedlings

To investigate the effects of iron deficiency stress on photosynthetic characteristics and iron contents of organelles in strawberry (Fragaria ananassa Duch.) seedlings, four strawberry cultivars (Hongyan, Zhangji, Tianchali, Tongzi No.1) were cultured in solution with or without Fe (II)-EDTA (10-4 mol/L). After 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 days of treatment, chlorophyll content (SPAD), photosynthetic rate (Pn), chloroplast iron content, and root mitochondrial iron content of strawberry seedlings were determined. The results show that the iron deficiency stress significantly reduces the chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rate, and chloroplast iron content, leaf iron content, root iron content and biomass of strawberry seedlings, and the differences between different cultivars are significant (P0.05). The iron deficiency treatment has little effect on the root mitochondrial iron content. The result of correlation analysis show that there are significantly correlations between the chloroplast iron content and the leaf iron content, photosynthetic rate and biomass of strawberry (r=0.93**, r=0.87** and r=0.72**), and the root mitochondrial iron content is correlative significantly with the root iron content, photosynthetic rate and biomass of strawberry (r=0.83**, r=0.72** and r=0.52*). Under the condition of this experiment, the effect of iron deficiency stress on the strawberry cultivar of Hongyan is larger than those of the other three cultivars.