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Cadmium toxicity affects photosynthesis and plant growth at different levels

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Abstract

In this article we discuss and update some of the effects of Cd toxicity on the photosynthetic apparatus in a model crop Lactuca sativa. Seeds of L. sativa were germinated in solutions with 0, 1, 10 and 50 μM of Cd(NO3)2 and then transferred to a hydroponic culture medium. After 28 days, the effects of Cd on the photosynthetic apparatus of lettuce were analysed. Exposure of lettuce to 1 μM Cd(NO3)2 affected already plant growth (dry biomass), but, did not induce serious damages in the photosynthetic apparatus. However, increasing concentrations of this metal to 10 and 50 μM promoted a strong reduction of the maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII and an impairment of net CO2 assimilation rate, putatively due to Rubisco activity decrease. This ultimately results in a strong inhibition of plant growth. Nutrient uptake and carbohydrate assimilation were also severely affected by Cd.

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Abbreviations

PN :

Net CO2 assimilation rate

ci/ca:

Ratio of intercellular to atmospheric CO2 concentration

Chl:

Chlorophyll

DW:

Dry weight

E:

Transpiration rate

FW:

Fresh weight

Fv/Fm :

Maximal efficiency of PSII

gs :

Stomatal conductance

Rubisco:

Ribulose 1,5 bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase

RWC:

Relative water content

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and technology (FCT) FCT/PTDC/AAC-AMB/112804/2009, BioRem: integration of multiple Biomarkers of toxicity in an assay of phytoremediation in contaminated sites. FCT also supported a post-doctoral fellowship of M. C. Dias (SFRH/BPD/41700/2007) and the doctoral fellowship of C. Monteiro (SFRH/BD/48204/2008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Maria Celeste Dias, Cristina Monteiro & Conceição Santos

  2. Department of Biology and Environment, Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Apartado 1013, 5001-801, Vila Real, Portugal

    José Moutinho-Pereira, Carlos Correia & Berta Gonçalves

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  1. Maria Celeste Dias
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  2. Cristina Monteiro
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  3. José Moutinho-Pereira
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  4. Carlos Correia
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  5. Berta Gonçalves
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  6. Conceição Santos
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Correspondence to Maria Celeste Dias.

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Communicated by Z. Gombos.

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Dias, M.C., Monteiro, C., Moutinho-Pereira, J. et al. Cadmium toxicity affects photosynthesis and plant growth at different levels. Acta Physiol Plant 35, 1281–1289 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-012-1167-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-012-1167-8

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