Spraying 1-2 mmol/L solution of NaHSO 3 on rice ( Oryza sativa L.) leaves resulted in the enhancement of net photosynthetic rate for more than three days. It was also observed that NaHSO 3 application caused increases both in ATP content in leaves and the millisecond_delayed light emission of leaves. The increase in net photosynthetic rate caused by NaHSO 3 treatment was similar to that by PMS (phenazine methosulfate) treatment. The grain yield of treated rice was enhanced approximately by 10% after duplicated application of NaHSO 3 in milk_ripening stage. It is suggested that the enhancement of photosynthesis by NaHSO 3 treatment resulted from the effect of increasing ATP supplement. Concomitant with an increase in the photosynthetic rate and ATP content in leaves, the transient increase in chlorophyll fluorescence after the termination of actinic light, which could be used as an index of the cyclic electron flow, was also enhanced by low concentration of NaHSO 3 treatment. Basing on these results it is proposed that the increase in rice photosynthesis caused by low concentrations of NaHSO 3 could be due to the stimulation of the cyclic electron flow around PSⅠ which in turn the enhancement of the coupled photophosphorylation and photosynthesis.
