INFLUENCE OF IRRADIATION QUALITY ON PHOTOSYNTHETIC PIGMENTS, SACCHARIDES, NITRATE REDUCTASE-ACTIVITY, THYLAKOID ORGANIZATION AND GROWTH OF ULVA-PERTUSA

A floating green alga Ulva pertusa Kjallman was grown in the laborator y under various irradiations: ''white light'' (as reference, broad spe ctral band, WLC), red radiation (600-700 nm, RRC) and blue radiation ( 400-500 nm, BRC). During 15 d of culture, the specific growth rate of WLC varied highly when compared to BRC and RRC. The contents of chloro phyll (Chi) and proteins, and the nitrate reductase (NR) activity were significantly higher in BRC than in RRC while the content of sacchari des was slightly higher in RRC than BRC. U. pertusa in WLC had the hig hest contents of saccharides, proteins, and Chi, and the highest NR ac tivity. In the WLC, closely arranged well organized thylakoids were se en whereas in the BRC, although the number of thylakoid layers was sim ilar to WLC, they were widely separated from each other. In contrast t o this, in the RRC, the thylakoids were less prominent and were also d ensely covered with ribosomes.