Hyponastic leaf growth decreases the photoprotective demand, prevents damage to photosystem II and delays leaf senescence in Salvia broussonetii plants.

The influence of leaf angle on the response of plants to high light was studied in Salvia broussonetii, a species endemic of the Canary Islands that shows hyponastic leaf growth. The response of vertical, naturally oriented leaves was compared with that of horizontal, artificially held leaves for 1, 13, 24 and 29 days in terms of photoinhibition [efficiency of photosystem II (PSII)], photoprotection (by the xanthophyll cycle, alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene) and progression of leaf senescence. Vertical leaves not only showed a decreased photoprotective demand compared with horizontal leaves but also kept the maximum efficiency of PSII (F(v)/F(m) ratio) constant throughout the experiment, thus reflecting the capacity of naturally oriented leaves to avoid photooxidative stress in the field. By contrast, horizontal leaves, which were exposed to higher light intensities, showed a higher photoprotective demand (reflected by a higher de-epoxidation of the xanthophyll cycle, carotenoid losses and increases in alpha-tocopherol), damage to PSII (as indicated by decreases in the F(v)/F(m) ratio) and accelerated leaf senescence, which was associated with cell death after 24 days of high light exposure. It is concluded that hyponastic leaf growth prevents photoinhibition and decreases the photoprotective demand of leaves by reducing the incident light, which helps maintaining leaf vigor and delaying the progression of leaf senescence in S. broussonetii plants. Hyponastic leaf growth is therefore one of the first photoprotection mechanisms activated in this species to avoid the negative impact of high-light stress in the field.