Thallium and potassium uptake kinetics and competition differ between durum wheat and canola

Thallium (Tl) is very toxic to mammals but little is known about its accumulation by plants, and it would be useful if prediction of Tl accumulation could be done using potassium (K) accumulation models. The objectives of this study were to compare the uptake kinetics of Tl(+) and K(+), and to determine how readily K(+) can inhibit Tl(+) uptake. Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) and spring canola (Brassica napus L.) were grown hydroponically and exposed to 0-75 μM Tl or 0-250 μM K for up to 150 min (kinetics experiment), or to 0.1 or 10 μM Tl with Tl to K ratios of 1:1 to 1:10,000 for up to 300 min (competition experiment). The rate of uptake of Tl(+) by canola was about three to five times faster than by wheat, while the rate of Tl(+) uptake in wheat was the same as the rate of K(+) uptake by either species. Uptake of Tl(+) was more readily suppressed by K(+) in wheat than in canola. When exposed to 0.1 uM Tl for 300 min with 100 or 1,000 uM K(+), Tl(+) uptake by wheat was reduced by 20 % and 50 %, respectively, while Tl(+) uptake by canola was not reduced. Our results suggest that predicting Tl accumulation using a K accumulation model with a correction factor may be possible for canola, but would be much more difficult for wheat, since uptake of Tl(+) is very sensitive to levels of K(.)

Plant uptake and translocation of inorganic and organic forms of selenium

Selenium (Se) plays a role in human health: It is an essential trace element but can be toxic if too much is consumed. The aim of this study was to determine which species of Se are most rapidly taken up and translocated to above-ground plant tissues. Specifically, we wished to determine if organic forms of Se in an exposure solution can contribute to the amount of Se found in shoot tissue. Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum) and spring canola (Brassica napus) were grown hydroponically, and young seedlings were exposed to 0.5 or 5.0 μM Se as selenate, selenite, seleno-methionione, or seleno-cystine for ≤300 min. Canola accumulated more Se than wheat, although the difference depended on Se speciation of the exposure solution. Organic forms of Se were taken up at a greater rate than inorganic forms. When exposed to 5.0 μM Se, the rate of uptake of selenite was 1.5- (canola) or 5-fold (wheat) greater than the rate of uptake of selenate, whereas seleno-methionine was taken up 40- (canola) or 100-fold (wheat) faster and seleno-cystine 2- (wheat) to 20-fold (canola) faster. Plants exposed to seleno-methionine had the highest shoot concentrations of Se even though selenate was more mobile once taken up; in plants exposed to selenate >50% of accumulated Se was translocated to shoot tissue. Because organic forms of Se (especially seleno-methionine) can be readily taken up and translocated to above-ground tissues of wheat and canola, these Se species should be considered when attempting to predict Se accumulation in above-ground plant tissues.

The relationship between root morphology and cadmium accumulation in seedlings of two durum wheat cultivars

Two cultivars of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L.) with known, and different, grain-Cd accumulation were used to compare root tissue accumulation of Cd with root morphology. Six-day-old 'Kyle' and 'Arcola' seedlings were exposed to a range of Cd2 + concentrations (3.91 × 10-8 - 3.91 × 10-7 M) for 0-200 min, and root Cd contents for the two cultivars were compared with root morphological characteristics. 'Kyle' roots contained 35% less Cd per root system after 200 min of exposure and had less root surface area and fewer root tips than 'Arcola'. 'Kyle' roots also contained 30% less Cd per gram of dry weight than 'Arcola' roots after 200 min of exposure. 'Kyle' roots also had fewer root tips per unit of root dry weight and less surface area per unit of dry weight (DW) than 'Arcola'. When cadmium concentration data (µg·g-1 DW) were expressed per unit of root surface area (µg·cm-2) and per number of root tips (µg·tip-1), the difference in root Cd content between the two cultivars was smaller. These results suggest that greater root Cd content of 'Arcola' than 'Kyle' can be explained by differences in morphology, specifically that a greater surface area and more root tips in 'Arcola' leads to greater Cd accumulation in root tissue.Key words: cadmium accumulation, durum wheat, root morphology.