<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">In the leaves of maize seedlings, cultivars Premia and Blitz, the relatively low 2 μmol/L concentration of cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), or both metals acting simultaneously (Cd +Ni) for 72 h, induced a significant metal accumulation, decrease in total K+ content, reduction of light-induced membrane electrical potential (<italic>E</italic>M) repolarisation in mesophyll cells and changes of ascorbic acid (AsA), dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) and glutathione (GSH) content. Shoot growth and the values of resting <italic>E</italic>M did not change significantly. Increased K+ leakage, from the leaves, and lipid peroxidation accompanied by increase of TBA-reactive substances (TBARS) were found only in cv. Blitz exposed to Cd + Ni. This indicates a capability of high leaf-cell anti-oxidant pool to ameliorate the toxic effects on plasma membrane of single ions in both cultivars, and of Cd + Ni only in cv. Premia. The decreased total content of K+ in leaves in all variants indicated repressing the K+ uptake and/or distribution to the shoots. Under anoxia, the magnitude of the repolarisation obtained after switching on the light was smaller in Cd-treated cultivar Premia than in the controls, and this also occurred in Ni- and Cd + Ni-treated cultivar Blitz.</abstract>

In the leaves of maize seedlings, cultivars Premia and Blitz, the relatively low 2 μmol/L concentration of cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), or both metals acting simultaneously (Cd +Ni) for 72 h, induced a significant metal accumulation, decrease in total K+ content, reduction of light-induced membrane electrical potential (EM) repolarisation in mesophyll cells and changes of ascorbic acid (AsA), dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) and glutathione (GSH) content. Shoot growth and the values of resting EM did not change significantly. Increased K+ leakage, from the leaves, and lipid peroxidation accompanied by increase of TBA-reactive substances (TBARS) were found only in cv. Blitz exposed to Cd + Ni. This indicates a capability of high leaf-cell anti-oxidant pool to ameliorate the toxic effects on plasma membrane of single ions in both cultivars, and of Cd + Ni only in cv. Premia. The decreased total content of K+ in leaves in all variants indicated repressing the K+ uptake and/or distribution to the shoots. Under anoxia, the magnitude of the repolarisation obtained after switching on the light was smaller in Cd-treated cultivar Premia than in the controls, and this also occurred in Ni- and Cd + Ni-treated cultivar Blitz.

Physiological Responses to Cadmium, Nickel and their Interaction in the Seedlings of Two Maize (<italic>Zea mays</italic> L.) Cultivars

Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Kryvyi Rig Botanical Garden NAS of Ukraine,

Agriculture (Pol'nohospodárstvo)

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Physiological Responses to Cadmium, Nickel and their Interaction in the Seedlings of Two Maize ( L.) Cultivars

In the leaves of maize seedlings, cultivars Premia and Blitz, the relatively low 2 μmol/L concentration of cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), or both metals acting...

Physiological Responses to Cadmium, Nickel and their Interaction in the Seedlings of Two Maize (Zea mays L.) Cultivars

Publicado en línea: 09 mar 2017

Páginas: 127 - 137

Recibido: 27 sept 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/agri-2016-0013

Palabras clave
maize leaves, heavy metals (Cd, Ni), plasma membrane integrity, photoelectric response, antioxidants

© 2016 Ján Pavlovkin et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Physiological Responses to Cadmium, Nickel and their Interaction in the Seedlings of Two Maize (Zea mays L.) Cultivars

Publicado en línea: 09 mar 2017

Páginas: 127 - 137

Recibido: 27 sept 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/agri-2016-0013

Palabras clavemaize leaves, heavy metals (Cd, Ni), plasma membrane integrity, photoelectric response, antioxidants

© 2016 Ján Pavlovkin et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Palabras clave
maize leaves, heavy metals (Cd, Ni), plasma membrane integrity, photoelectric response, antioxidants