No abstract

Heavy metal toxicity in soils has been considered as major constraints for oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) production.In the present study, toxic effects of chromium (Cr) were studied in 6-d-old seedlings of four different cultivars of B. napus (ZS 758, Zheda 619, ZY 50, and Zheda 622). The elevated content of Cr inhibited seedling growth, decreased the content of photosynthetic pigments, and activities of antioxidant enzymes, as well as increased the content of malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species in all the cultivars. The Cr content in different parts of plants was higher in Zheda 622 than in other cultivars. The electron microscopic study showed changes in ultrastructure of leaf mesophyll and root tip cells at 400 µmol Cr, and these changes were more prominent in Zheda 622. An increased size and number of starch grains and number of plastoglobuli, damaged thylakoid membranes, and immature nucleoli and mitochondria were observed in leaves. In roots, enlarged vacuoles, disrupted cell walls and cell membranes, an increased number of mitochondria and a size of nucleolus, as well as plasmolysis (in Zheda 622) were observed. On the basis of these findings, it can be concluded that cv. Zheda 622 was more sensitive to Cr as compared to other three cultivars.

The subcellular distribution and chemical forms of different heavy metals in rice are correlated with their bio‐toxicity. An experiment was conducted to investigate the subcellular distribution and chemical forms of chromium (Cr) in two rice genotypes (Oryza sativa L. cv. Xiushui 113 and cv. Dan K5) differing in Cr accumulation, to understand the mechanisms of Cr toxicity and resistance in rice plants. The results show that Cr in the roots of rice plants exposed to Cr stress was mainly localized in cell walls, whereas Cr in leaves and stems was mainly present in both cell walls and vacuoles, suggesting that both compartments act as important protective barriers against Cr toxicity in rice plants. Although Cr ions in all plant tissues exist predominantly in the forms extracted by 80% ethanol and distilled water, the amount of Cr in the chemical forms extracted by 2% HAc, 0.6 M HCl, and in residues was significantly increased under the highest Cr level (100 μM Cr) compared to the plants grown under lower Cr levels. These results indicate that excess Cr accumulated in rice plants under Cr stress is bound to undissolved or low‐bioavailable compounds, such as undissolved phosphate and oxalate, being beneficial for rice plants to alleviate Cr toxicity. In addition, under the highest Cr level (100 μM), Dan K5 had a higher percentage of Cr in the chemical forms extracted by 2% HAc, 0.6 M HCl, and in residues compared to Xiushui 113 in both stems and leaves, indicating that more Cr ions in shoots of Dan K5 were bound to undissolved or low‐bioavailable compounds, in comparison with those of Xiushui 113. It is evident that the low bioavailability of Cr in the shoots of Dan K5 is related to a high Cr accumulation.

Identification of Cr-tolerant lines in a rice DH population was conducted based on the modified weighted function analysis. The significant difference was found between the two parents and among DH population lines, with lines 117, 101 and parent ZYQ8 showing the high Cr tolerance, lines 41 and 49 showing Cr sensitivity. A dramatic difference also existed in Cr accumulation of plant tissues, with lines 19, 18 and 1, 5 having the minimum and maximum shoot Cr accumulation, respectively, and line 19, parent JX17 and lines 1, 56, ZYQ8 having the minimum and maximum root Cr accumulation, respectively. There was a significant difference in shoot/root ratio of Cr accumulation among the population, with line 18 and parent ZYQ8 ranking the tops and lines 109, 71, 19, parent JX17 ranking the bottoms. Zn uptake and accumulation was reduced when the plants were exposed to Cr stress. In addition, three QTLs were detected, which are, respectively, associated with Cr accumulation in shoot and root, and ratio of shoot to root.

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