biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 49:633-636, 2005 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-005-0065-y

Zirconium induced physiological alterations in wheat seedlings

M. Fodor¹, A. Hegedus^1,*, E. Stefanovits-Banyai¹

¹ Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Food Science, Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary

The effects of zirconium ascorbate (Zr-ASC), a water-soluble complex of Zr, were examined on wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L. cv. MV. 20). Hydroponically grown plants were exposed to 10, 33, 55, 100 and 550 µM Zr-ASC (Zr₁₀, Zr₃₃etc.). After 9 d of treatment inhibition of germination, retarded root and shoot growth, and increased activities of antioxidant enzymes (guaiacol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, and glutathione reductase) showed that Zr-ASC was only harmful at and over a concentration limit of 100 µM. Chlorophyll (Chl) content of plants was only decreased by Zr₅₅₀. Zr-ASC at lower concentrations was beneficial for plant development: Zr₁₀ and Zr₃₃ enhanced root elongation, Zr₅₅ induced about 30 % increase in the total Chl content, while the activity of antioxidant enzymes was not elevated indicating that no oxidative stress was generated by the intracellularly accumulated Zr⁴⁺ ions.

Keywords: abiotic stress; antioxidant enzymes; ascorbate peroxidase; chlorophyll; glutathione reductase; guiacol peroxidase; metal toxicity; root and shoot length; zirconium ascorbate

Subjects: abiotic stress; ascorbate peroxidase; chlorophylls, zirconium ascorbate; glutathione reductase; guaiacol peroxidase; reactive oxygen species (ROS); root, growth parameters; Triticum aestivum; zirconium ascorbate, antioxidant enzymes

Received: July 1, 2004; Accepted: March 2, 2005; Published: December 1, 2005  Show citation