Influence of Pulsed Electric Fields on Photosynthesis in Lettuce

For a long time, the phenomenon of growth promotion and increased yield by applying electrical stimulation to plants has attracted considerable attention in the field of agriculture. In recent years, studies have reported that appropriate electric fields can promote plant growth. Recent studies have shown that the application of a pulsed electric field (PEF) in living creatures causes various stress responses. However, few studies have been conducted on the effects of PEF on photosynthesis. Therefore, in this study, we investigated photosynthetic parameters by applying PEF to lettuce leaves. In this study, we measured the photosynthetic response of leaf lettuce acclimated to light and dark conditions following the application of an electric field of 0.1-1.0 kV/cm in combination with gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence. The results showed that PEF caused both photosynthetic activity and inactivity in leaf lettuce. It was suggested that there is an optimum value for activation, and that excess energy input causes inactivation.