Responses of spring barley to Zn- and Cd-induced stress: Morphometric analysis and cytotoxicity assay

Saglara MANDZHIEVA, Victor CHAPLYGIN, Natalia CHERNIKOVA, Aleksey FEDORENKO, Marina VOLOSHINA, Tatiana MINKINA, Vishnu D. RAJPUT, Maria ELINSON, Ming Hung WONG

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlespeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) could be dangerous and pollute the environment due to their high migration ability, robust bioavailability, and acute toxicity to soil biota and plants. Considering the above characteristics of these elements, the study’s aim was to explore the individual and combined impact of Cd and Zn contamination of Haplic Chernozem on growing two-row spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The accumulation and distribution of Cd and Zn in various parts of H. vulgare have also been studied, which showed that Cd accumulation by H. vulgare occurred more intensely than that by Zn up to eight times. Cadmium and Zn suppress plant growth up to two times, more effect was noted by the combined impact of Cd and Zn. The study of plant morphological characteristics revealed that growth suppression and structural changes in the root and leaf tissues increased in proportion to Cd and Zn concentrations. Detailed analysis of the localizations of Zn and Cd in various organelles of H. vulgare cells was performed. Heavy metals change the ultrastructure of prominent energy-producing organelles in leaf cells, especially chloroplasts and mitochondria. Overall, the current findings offer insights into phytotoxicity induced by Cd and Zn individual application as well as in combination with the H. vulgare plant. Zinc showed protective effects against high doses of Cd under the combined application. These antagonistic interactions reduce their accessibility to H. vulgare. The present work can be useful in restricting the entry of these elements into the food chain and preventing creating a threat to human health. Copyright © 2022 by the authors.
Original languageEnglish
Article number3332
JournalPlants
Volume11
Issue number23
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01 Dec 2022

Citation

Mandzhieva, S., Chaplygin, V., Chernikova, N., Fedorenko, A., Voloshina, M., Minkina, T., . . . Wong, M. H. (2022). Responses of spring barley to Zn- and Cd-induced stress: Morphometric analysis and cytotoxicity assay. Plants, 11(23). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11233332

Keywords

  • Heavy metals
  • Hordeum vulgare
  • Polluted soil
  • Toxicity
  • Ultrastructural changes

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