Polyamine and tyramine involvement in NaCl-induced improvement of Cd resistance in the halophyte Inula chrithmoides L.

The aim of the present work was to analyze the impact of salinity on the plant response to Cd toxicity in the Mediterranean halophyte species Inula crithmoides. For this purpose, cuttings were cultivated hydroponically during 21d in the presence of 0, 25 or 50μM CdCl combined or not with 0, 100, 200 and 400mM NaCl. The obtained data demonstrated that, in the absence of Cd, NaCl strongly increased plant growth (the maximal dry weight being observed at 100mM) and enhanced the Na/K ratio in the shoot.

Comparison of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal effects on the heavy metal uptake of a host and a non-host plant species in contact with extraradical mycelial network.

The effects of inoculation with an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus on Cd and Ni tolerance and uptake in Medicago sativa, an AM host, and Sesuvium portulacastrum, a non-host plant, were investigated in a greenhouse experiment. The plants were cultivated in sterilized sand in a two-compartmented system, which prevented root competition but enabled colonization of the whole substrate by AM fungal extraradical mycelium. M.

Cd and Ni transport and accumulation in the halophyte Sesuvium portulacastrum: implication of organic acids in these processes.

The implication of organic acids in Cd and Ni translocation was studied in the halophyte species Sesuvium portulacastrum. Citric, fumaric, malic, and ascorbic acids were separated and quantified by HPLC technique in shoots, roots and xylem saps of plants grown on nutrient solutions added with 50 μM Cd, 100 μM Ni and the combination of 50 μM Cd + 100 μM Ni. Results showed that Cd had no significant impact on biomass production while Ni and the combination of both metals drastically affected plant development.