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Effects of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide on shoot and root growth of Kennebec and Russet Burbank potato plants

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Abstract

The effects of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), singly and in combination, on the shoot and root growth of two potato cultivars sensitive to these pollutant gases were determined using rooted cuttings in controlled conditions. Plants were exposed to 0.11 ppm SO2 and/or 0.11 ppm NO2 for 24 hours a day for 7 or 14 days. Kennebec plants had significantly lower root fresh and dry weights after 7 days in the mixture treatments and lower root fresh weight in the NO2 treatment. Russet Burbank plants were more sensitive to SO2 and NO2 than Kennebec. Russet Burbank plants had significantly reduced leaf area, and leaf, stem, and root fresh and dry weights after 7 and 14 days of mixture treatment, and the leaf to root dry weight ratio was higher than in control plants. The combination treatment and SO2 alone resulted in visible injury on leaves of both cultivars. Changes in tissue water concentration, decreased specific leaf area and decreased root growth suggested that SO2 and NO2 altered plant water status and interfered with partitioning of dry matter from the leaves to other plant parts.

Compendio

Usando esquejes enraizados bajo condiciones controladas se determinaron los efectos del dióxido de azufre (SO2) y del dióxido de nitrógeno (NO2), solos y combinados, sobre el desarrollo de brotes y raices en dos cultivares de papa sensibles a estos gases contaminantes. Las plantas fueron expuestas a 0,11 ppm de SO2 y/o a 0,11 ppm de NO2 por 24 horas diarias durante 7 ó 14 días. Las plantas del cultivar Kennebec mostraron un peso fresco y seco de raices significativamente más bajo, después de 7 días en Ios tratamientos con la mezcla de los dos productos y peso fresco más bajo en el tratamiento con NO2. Las plantas del cultivar Russet Burbank mostraron el area foliar reducida significativamente y tanto los pesos fresco y seco de la hoja, tallo y raiz despues de 7 y 14 días del tratamiento con la mezcla de los dos productos, como la relación entre el peso seco hoja/raiz fué mayor que en las plantas testigo. El tratamiento combinado y el de SO2 solo produjeron daños visibles en las hojas de ambos cultivares. Los cambios en a concentración de agua en el tejido, disminución del area foliar específica y disminución en el desarrollo de la raiz sugirieron que el SO22 y el NO2 alteraron el contenido de agua en la planta e interfirieron con la migración de materia seca de las hojas hacia otras partes de la planta.

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Petitte, J.M., Ormrod, D.P. Effects of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide on shoot and root growth of Kennebec and Russet Burbank potato plants. American Potato Journal 65, 517–527 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908331

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