Abstract
A frequently desired outcome when rehabilitating Zn toxic sites in Australia is to establish a self-sustaining native ecosystem. Hence, it is important to understand the tolerance of Australian native plants to high concentrations of Zn. Very little is known about the responses of Australian native plants, and trees in particular, to toxic concentrations of Zn. Acacia holosericea, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Melaleuca leucadendra plants were grown in dilute solution culture for 10 weeks. The seedlings (42 days old) were exposed to six Zn treatments viz., 0.5, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 μM. The order of tolerance to toxic concentrations of Zn was E. camaldulensis> A. holosericea> M. leucadendra, the critical external concentrations being approximately 20, 12 and 1.5 μM, respectively. Tissue Zn concentrations increased as solution Zn increased for all species. Root tissue concentrations were higher than shoot tissue concentrations at all solution Zn concentrations. The critical tissue Zn concentrations were approximately 85 and 110 μg g−1 DM for M. leucadendra, 115 and 155 μg g−1 DM for A. holosericea and 415 and 370 μg g−1 DM for E. camaldulensis for the youngest fully expanded leaf and total shoots, respectively. The results from this paper provide the first comprehensive combination of growth responses, critical external concentrations, critical tissue concentrations and plant toxicity symptoms for three important Australian genera, viz., Eucalyptus, Acacia and Melaleuca, for use in the rehabilitation of potentially Zn toxic sites.
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Reichman, S.M., Asher, C.J., Mulligan, D.R. et al. Seedling responses of three Australian tree species to toxic concentrations of zinc in solution culture. Plant and Soil 235, 151–158 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011903430385
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011903430385