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Effects of soil contamination by trace elements on white poplar progeny: seed germination and seedling vigour

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Abstract

Seed germination is considered a critical phase in plant development and relatively sensitive to heavy metals. White poplar (Populus alba) trees tend to accumulate Cd and Zn in their tissues. We tested if soil contamination can affect P. alba progeny, reduced seed germination and explored the distribution of mineral elements in the seed. For this purpose, fruits and seeds from female P. alba trees were selected from two contaminated and one non-contaminated areas. Seeds from all the sites were germinated using only water or a nutritive solution (in vitro). Concentrations of nutrients and trace elements in the fruits and seeds were analysed. Seedling growth in vitro was also analysed. Finally, a mapping of different elements within the poplar seed was obtained by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Germination was similar between different progenies, refuting our hypothesis that seeds from a contaminated origin would have reduced germination capacity compared to those from a non-contaminated site. Seedling growth was not affected by the contaminated origin. Cadmium and Zn concentrations in fruits produced by P. alba trees in the contaminated sites were higher than by those from the non-contaminated site. However, the nutritional status of the trees was adequate in both cases. Cd in seedlings was higher in those from contaminated soils although lower than in fruits, indicating a certain exclusion from seeds. Preliminary results of the PIXE technique showed that Al and Zn were distributed uniformly in the seeds (Cd was not detected with this technique), while the nutrients P and S were concentrated in the cotyledons.

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Acknowledgments

We thank JM Alegre for helping in the field work and Patricia Puente for helping in the lab work. We thank the National Accelerator Centre (CNA) of Seville for the analytical facilities. This study was supported by CGL2011-30285-C02 project, funded by the CICYT of the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and European FEDER funds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología, IRNAS, CSIC, P. O. Box 1052, E-41080, Seville, Spain

    Paula Madejón, Manuel Cantos, Teodoro Marañón & José M. Murillo

  2. Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA), E-41092, Seville, Spain

    María C. Jiménez-Ramos

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  1. Paula Madejón
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  2. Manuel Cantos
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  3. María C. Jiménez-Ramos
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Correspondence to Paula Madejón.

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Madejón, P., Cantos, M., Jiménez-Ramos, M.C. et al. Effects of soil contamination by trace elements on white poplar progeny: seed germination and seedling vigour. Environ Monit Assess 187, 663 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4893-8

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