Cadmium accumulation and physiological response of sunflower plants to Cd during the vegetative growing cycle

• Published in: Plant, soil and environment Vol. 59; no. 6; pp. 254 - 261
• Main Authors: De Maria, S., University of Basilicata, Potenza (Italy). School of Agricultural, Forest, Food and Environmental Sciences, Puschenreiter, M., University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (Austria). Dept. of Forest and Soil Science, Rivelli, A.R., University of Basilicata, Potenza (Italy). School of Agricultural, Forest, Food and Environmental Sciences
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences 01.06.2013
• Subjects: ANABOLISM; ANABOLISME; ANABOLISMO; BIODECONTAMINACION; BIOREMEDIATION; CADMIO; CADMIUM; chlorophyll; CHLOROPHYLLE; CHLOROPHYLLS; CLOROFILAS; CONTAMINACION; CONTAMINATION; CONTENIDO DE HUMEDAD; COTILEDONES; COTYLEDON; COTYLEDONS; CRECIMIENTO; CROISSANCE; DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES; environment; ETAPAS DE DESARROLLO; EXPERIMENTACION EN CONTENEDOR; EXPERIMENTATION EN POT; FEUILLE; FISIOLOGIA VEGETAL; flower buds; gas exchange; GROWTH; HEAVY METALS; HELIANTHUS ANNUUS; helianthus annuus l; HOJAS; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_1178; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_1577; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_1930; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_2223; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_2230; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_25189; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_27990; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_28317; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_32520; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_3394; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_35028; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_3539; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_374; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_4243; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_4886; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_5272; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_5443; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_7156; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_7869; LEAVES; METAL LOURD; METALES PESADOS; MOISTURE CONTENT; NUTRIENT TRANSPORT; OSMOTIC PRESSURE; physiological parameters; physiological response; PHYSIOLOGIE VEGETALE; phytoremediation; plant growth; PLANT PHYSIOLOGY; PLANT TISSUES; POT EXPERIMENTATION; PRESION OSMOTICA; PRESSION OSMOTIQUE; roots; SOIL; soil pollution; SOL; STADE DE DEVELOPPEMENT; SUELO; TEJIDOS VEGETALES; TENEUR EN EAU; TISSU VEGETAL; toxicity; trace element; TRANSLOCATION; translocation factor; TRANSPORT DES SUBSTANCES NUTRITIVES; TRANSPORTE DE NUTRIENTES; TRASLOCACION; water content
• ISSN: 1214-1178; 1805-9368; 1805-9368
• DOI: 10.17221/788/2012-PSE

The effects of soil cadmium (Cd) contamination on Cd accumulation and distribution, growth and physiological responses of sunflower plants were investigated. Plants were subject to six levels of soil contamination (from 2.5 to 15 mg Cd kg/soil) with an untreated control, from the emergence of the cotyledon leaves until the harvest, when plants were at the flower bud stage. An overall increase of Cd concentration was found in all tissues of the plants (roots, stem, young, mature and old leaves) by increasing the Cd contamination in the soil. Regardless of treatments, Cd concentration in roots always exceeded those in the aboveground dry matter with a low translocation from roots to shoots. At early stage of growth, Cd concentration in plants was higher than at the flower bud stage. Soil Cd contamination did not affect plant growth, relative water content and gas exchange parameters. Negative and significant correlation was only found between Cd concentration in the young leaves and chlorophyll concentration at the end of vegetative growing stage. Roots and old leaves are the main metal sinks suggesting a defense or tolerance mechanism of the plants to avoid toxic levels in physiologically most active apical tissues. These results should be tested in open field to verify the suitability of sunflower in the area of phytotechnologies.