Abstract
Considerable studies have been done to investigate the effect of acid rain on plant growth and photosynthesis. However, little attention has been paid for the effect of 'normal' rain on leaf photosynthesis, nevertheless it sometimes inhibit plant photosynthesis considerably. We have investigated the effect of surface wetness on leaf photosynthesis in bean plants to clarify the mechanism responsible to this photosynthetic inhibition caused by mist exposure. Rubisco content was significantly declined in mist-treated bean leaves, suggesting that photosynthetic inhibition is caused by the decline in carboxylation enzymes. Rubisco degradation was enhanced in mist-treated leaves. These results suggest that the decline in photosynthesis by surface wetness would be caused by the inhibition of photosynthetic machinary, rather than by the stomatal responce to wetness.
