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Metabolism of atmospheric sulfur gases in onion

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Plant Responses to Air Pollution and Global Change

Summary

The impact of atmospheric sulfur gases was studied in onion (Allium cepa L.). The occurrence of toxic effects of H2S in onion depended not only on the atmospheric H2S level but also on the duration of the exposure. Prolonged exposure of onion to ≥ 0.3 µl l−1 H2S resulted in a strong reduction in shoot biomass production. H2S exposure resulted in a decrease in the organic N/S ratio at all levels (0.15 to 0.6 µl l−1), which could be attributed to an increase in the pool of secondary sulfur compounds and not to changes in the sulfolipid content. The latter even decreased upon H2S exposure when expressed on a lipid basis. SO2 exposure resulted in an enhanced content of sulfate and total sulfur in the shoot, whereas roots were not affected. In contrast to exposure to H2S, SO2 exposure did not result in an increase in non-protein organic (secondary) sulfur compounds, which showed that these compounds only were a sink pool for reduced atmospheric sulfur, when both the uptake of sulfate by the roots and its reduction in the shoot were by-passed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Plant Physiology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14, 9750 AA, Haren, The Netherlands

    Mark Durenkamp, Freek S. Posthumus, C. Elisabeth E. Stuiver & Luit J. De Kok

Authors
  1. Mark Durenkamp
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  2. Freek S. Posthumus
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  3. C. Elisabeth E. Stuiver
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  4. Luit J. De Kok
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Kenji Omasa (Professor) (Professor)

  2. Agro-Meteorology Group, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8604, Japan

    Isamu Nouchi (Head) (Head)

  3. Laboratory of Plant Physiology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14, 9750 AA, Haren, The Netherlands

    Luit J. De Kok (Professor) (Professor)

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© 2005 Springer-Verlag Tokyo

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Durenkamp, M., Posthumus, F.S., Stuiver, C.E.E., De Kok, L.J. (2005). Metabolism of atmospheric sulfur gases in onion. In: Omasa, K., Nouchi, I., De Kok, L.J. (eds) Plant Responses to Air Pollution and Global Change. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/4-431-31014-2_1

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