biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 46:269-273, 2003 | DOI: 10.1023/A:1022815013951

The Relationship between Salinity and Cadmium Stress in Barley

I. Smýkalová¹, B. Zámečníková²

¹ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Agronomy, Czech University of Agriculture, Praha, Czech Republic

² Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agronomy, Czech University of Agriculture, Praha, Czech Republic

Distribution of cadmium between roots and shoots of barley was manipulated by the cadmium concentration (0.01 and 0.005 mM Cd²⁺), pH (4.6 and 5.9) as well as treatment duration. The prolongation of treatment increased dry mass and content of cadmium in plants. The cadmium is accumulated mainly in roots. Presence of both, 0.005 mM Cd²⁺ and 100 mM NaCl in medium at pH 5.9 (Cd-NaCl plants) resulted in the most severe growth inhibition of plants, but about one half accumulation of cadmium in roots then in a case of only Cd-treated plants. In the Cd-NaCl plants, the net photosynthetic and transpiration rates were less reduced then in a case of only NaCl-treated plants. The treatments also influenced uptake of Ca, Cd, Cu, K, Mg, Na and Zn predominantly in roots.

Keywords: growth; Hordeum vulgare; nutrient uptake; transpiration; photosynthesis

Subjects: barley, cadmium and salt stress; cadmium stress, salt stress, gas exchange; calcium, cadmium and salt stress; copper uptake, cadmium and salt stress; growth analysis, biomass production; heavy metals; Hordeum vulgare; magnesium uptake, cadmium and salt stress; potassium uptake, cadmium and salt stress; salt stress, cadmium, gas exchange; sodium uptake, cadmium and salt stress; zinc, uptake, cadmium and salt stress

Prepublished online: March 1, 2003; Published: September 1, 2003  Show citation