INVESTIGATIONS OF PHOTON-EMISSION FROM WHEAT DURING OZONE EXPOSURE BYMEANS OF A PORTABLE SINGLE-PHOTON COUNTER

Photon emission is inherently associated with fundamental biological p rocesses such as cell division, photosynthesis, stress or death of org anisms. For demonstrating the potential use of photon emission for mon itoring stress effects on plants, we designed and performed a series o f experiments about the physiological effects of ozone. The photon emi ssion of wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Perlo) was recorded by means of a portable single photon counter. The results showed that photon emiss ion of green plants acts as an indicator of ozone stress response and that a portable photon counter can be used successfully for detailed a nd sensitive in situ investigations of photon emission from stressed p lants. This analytical method may complement other techniques used in plant physiology, especially those for studying effects on photosynthe sis.