biologia plantarum

Biologia plantarum 2013, 57:128-132 | DOI: 10.1007/s10535-012-0133-z

Vanadium distribution in roots and leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris: morphological and ultrastructural effects

D. Saco^1,*, S. Martín¹, P. San José¹

¹ Departamento de Biología Vegetal II, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

In different plant species, vanadium has been considered either as beneficial or as a toxic element, or even as secondary metabolism elicitor, but the mechanisms involved are still not completely understood. In this study, the responses of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Contender roots and leaves to different vanadyl sulfate concentrations were studied. The plants grown hydroponically with V had thicker roots, a less developed main root, and a smaller number of secondary roots than the control plants. The V content in roots and leaves was correlated with V supply concentration but the V content in leaf was always much lower than in the root, which leads us to conclusion that V accumulates in the roots and only small quantities are transferred to the leaves. However, thylakoid disorganisation was observed in the chloroplasts of plants grown with vanadyl sulphate.

Keywords: chloroplast ultrastructure; leaf and root growth; TEM

Subjects: Vanadium; chloroplast ultrastructure; growth analysis

Species: Phaseolus vulgaris

Received: May 26, 2011; Accepted: January 5, 2012; Published: March 1, 2013Show citation