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Combined Effects of Lanthanum(III) and Elevated Ultraviolet-B Radiation on Root Nitrogen Nutrient in Soybean Seedlings

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Abstract

Rare earth element pollution and elevated ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation occur simultaneously in some regions, but the combined effects of these two factors on plants have not attracted enough attention. Nitrogen nutrient is vital to plant growth. In this study, the combined effects of lanthanum(III) and elevated UV-B radiation on nitrate reduction and ammonia assimilation in soybean (Glycine max L.) roots were investigated. Treatment with 0.08 mmol L−1 La(III) did not change the effects of elevated UV-B radiation on nitrate reductase (NR), nitrite reductase (NiR), glutamine synthetase (GS), glutamate synthase (GOGAT), glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), nitrate, ammonium, amino acids, or soluble protein in the roots. Treatment with 0.24 mmol L−1 La(III) and elevated UV-B radiation synergistically decreased the NR, NiR, GS, and GOGAT activities as well as the nitrate, amino acid, and soluble protein levels, except for the GDH activity and ammonium content. Combined treatment with 1.20 mmol L−1 La(III) and elevated UV-B radiation produced severely deleterious effects on all test indices, and these effects were stronger than those induced by La(III) or elevated UV-B radiation treatment alone. Following the withdrawal of La(III) and elevated UV-B radiation, all test indices for the combined treatments with 0.08/0.24 mmol L−1 La(III) and elevated UV-B radiation recovered to a certain extent, but they could not recover for treatments with 1.20 mmol L−1 La(III) and elevated UV-B radiation. In summary, combined treatment with La(III) and elevated UV-B radiation seriously affected nitrogen nutrition in soybean roots through the inhibition of nitrate reduction and ammonia assimilation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31170477), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK2011160), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities and the Doctor Candidate Foundation of Jiangnan University (No. JUDCF11037).

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Guangrong Huang, Lihong Wang, Zhaoguo Sun & Qing Zhou

  2. Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210046, China

    Xiaodong Li & Xiaohua Huang

  3. Tongren Polytechnic College, School of Engineering Technology, Tongren, 554300, China

    Guangrong Huang

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  1. Guangrong Huang
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Huang, G., Wang, L., Sun, Z. et al. Combined Effects of Lanthanum(III) and Elevated Ultraviolet-B Radiation on Root Nitrogen Nutrient in Soybean Seedlings. Biol Trace Elem Res 163, 224–234 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-014-0174-6

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