Changes in P-700 oxidation during the early stages of the induction of photosynthesis

Following dark adaptation, the response to irradiance of chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence, the light-induced absorbance change around 820 nm (to measure reaction center Chl of photosystem I [PSI] P-700 oxidation), and CO2 fixation were examined in pea (Pisum sativum L.) leaves under a range of conditions. Initially, P-700 oxidation is restricted by a lack of regeneration of PSI electron acceptors, and the increase of oxidized P-700 (P-700+) that occurs during approximately the first 60 s of irradiation is largely independent of the resistance to electron flow between the two photosystems. Under these conditions, the quantum efficiency for linear electron flow is directly positively related to P-700+ accumulation, which is in contrast to the direct negative correlation that is the most frequently reported relationship between P-700+ accumulation and the quantum efficiency for linear electron flow.