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Physiological and ultrastructural effects of lead on tobacco

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Biologia Plantarum

Abstract

The effects of lead toxicity on leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, chloroplast ultrastructure, and opening of stomata were examined in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants. Plants were grown in a growth chamber for 7 d in Hoagland nutrient solution supplemented with 0.0 (control), 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 300 and 500 μM Pb(NO3)2. Plants treated with 5, 10, and 25 μM Pb(NO3)2 exhibited no abnormalities. Root and shoot growth, net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance were significantly reduced in plants treated with 100, 300 and 500 μM Pb(NO3)2. In plants treated with 500 μM Pb(NO3)2, the majority of stomata were closed. The effect of Pb(NO3)2 on chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters was negligible. However, in plants exposed to 100, 300, and 500 μM Pb(NO3)2, the mesophyll cells showed altered chloroplasts with disrupted thylakoid membranes.

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Abbreviations

Chl:

chlorophyll

E:

transpiration rate

Fs :

steady state chlorophyll fluorescence

Fm :

maximum chlorophyll fluorescence

Fv :

variable fluorescence

Fv/Fm :

maximum PS 2 quantum yield

gs :

stomatal conductance

PN :

net photosynthetic rate

PS 2:

photosystem 2

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electron Microscopy Laboratory and Molecular Biology Program, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA

    R. Alkhatib & R. Creamer

  2. Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA

    J. Maruthavanan & R. Creamer

  3. Department of Statistics, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, 88003, USA

    R. Steiner

  4. Faculty of Science, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan

    R. Alkhatib

  5. Electron Microscopy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    S. Ghoshroy

  6. Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    S. Ghoshroy

  7. Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA

    T. Sterling

Authors
  1. R. Alkhatib
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  2. J. Maruthavanan
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  3. S. Ghoshroy
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  4. R. Steiner
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  5. T. Sterling
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  6. R. Creamer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Alkhatib.

Additional information

Acknowledgments: This work was supported by a research grant (No.G200803150008) awarded by the Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research Program. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Nour Abdo in experiment preparation.

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Alkhatib, R., Maruthavanan, J., Ghoshroy, S. et al. Physiological and ultrastructural effects of lead on tobacco. Biol Plant 56, 711–716 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-012-0241-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10535-012-0241-9

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