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Antioxidant response of soybean seedlings to joint stress of lanthanum and acid rain

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Abstract

Excess of rare earth elements in soil can be a serious environmental stress on plants, in particular when acid rain coexists. To understand how such a stress affects plants, we studied antioxidant response of soybean leaves and roots exposed to lanthanum (0.06, 0.18, and 0.85 mmol L−1) under acid rain conditions (pH 4.5 and 3.0). We found that low concentration of La3+ (0.06 mmol L−1) did not affect the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase and peroxidase) whereas high concentration of La3+ (≥0.18 mmol L−1) did. Compared to treatment with acid rain (pH 4.5 and pH 3.0) or La3+ alone, joint stress of La3+ and acid rain affected more severely the activity of catalase and peroxidase, and induced more H2O2 accumulation and lipid peroxidation. When treated with high level of La3+ (0.85 mmol L−1) alone or with acid rain (pH 4.5 and 3.0), roots were more affected than leaves regarding the inhibition of antioxidant enzymes, physiological function, and growth. The severity of oxidative damage and inhibition of growth caused by the joint stress associated positively with La3+ concentration and soil acidity. These results will help us understand plant response to joint stress, recognize the adverse environmental impact of rare earth elements in acidic soil, and develop measures to eliminate damage caused by such joint stress.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Youths (31000245) and the technical assistance from Yujuan Yang and Danyao Xu.

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

    Chanjuan Liang

  2. School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Chanjuan Liang & Weimin Wang

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  1. Chanjuan Liang
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  2. Weimin Wang
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Correspondence to Chanjuan Liang.

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Liang, C., Wang, W. Antioxidant response of soybean seedlings to joint stress of lanthanum and acid rain. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 8182–8191 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1776-9

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