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Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology ›› 2019, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (3): 941-950.doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.201903.031

• Research paper • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of copper treatment on mineral nutrient absorption and cell ultrastructure of spinach seedlings

GONG Qin1,2, WANG Ling1,3, DAI Tong-wei1, KANG Qun1,3, ZHOU Jing-yi1, LI Zhao-hua1,3*   

  1. 1Faculty of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China;
    2Xinjiang Vocation College of Agriculture, Changji 831100, Xinjiang, China;
    3Hubei Rural Drinking Water Safe Engineering Technology Research Center, Wuhan 430062, China
  • Received:2018-07-18 Online:2019-03-20 Published:2019-03-20
  • Supported by:
    This work was supported by the Key Project of Natural Science Fund (Innovation Group) of Hubei, China (2016CFA016), and the National Science and Technology for the Benefit of People in China (S013GMD100042).

Abstract: The accumulation of heavy metals in soil has serious influence on plant growth and ecosystem balance. It is of great importance to explore the mechanism of plant tolerance to heavy me-tals. Although spinach is supposed to have strong Cu tolerance, the effects of Cu on mineral element absorption and cell ultrastructure are still unclear. In this study, the growth of spinach seedlings, the absorption of mineral elements and the ultrastructure of leaf cells were examined in a pot experiment. The results showed that Cu2+ accumulation in the root of spinach seedling was less than that in the shoot when CuSO4 concentration was 100 mg·L-1, with root growth being increased and shoot growth being slightly decreased. When copper concentration continued to increase, the growth parameters continuously declined. When the CuSO4 concentrations were less than 400 mg·L-1, the foliar N, K, Ca, Mg and Fe concentrations of spinach seedling increased, and that of P decreased. The concentrations of N, P and K in roots went down and that of Ca, Mg and Fe went up. All organelles in leaf cells were clearly visible. The basal granule layer was arranged orderly, and the inner and outer membranes of chloroplasts were intact. When the CuSO4 concentrations exceeded 600 mg·L-1, foliar N concentration increased while that of P, K, Ca, Mg and Fe decreased. The concentrations of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Fe in roots declined. The cell ultrastructure of spinach seedlings substantially changed with the increases of CuSO4 treated concentrations. The chloroplast in leaf cells became rounder, the chloroplast membrane became thinner, the stroma and basal granule layer became less, and the layer accumulation height decreased. The nucleus was broken up and small black spots were found in vacuoles and cell walls, which might be attributed to the enhancement of intracellular swelling pressure caused by high accumulation of Cu2+. In conclusion, low concentration of CuSO4 had little negative effect on the life activities of spinach seedlings, and the high concentrations of CuSO4 did not terminate their growth, indicating that spinach seedlings had strong copper resistance.

Key words: spinach seedling, cell ultrastructure, mineral elements transportation, copper tolerance mechanism, copper addition