Study of aluminum toxicity by means of vital staining profiles in four cultivars of Phaseolus vulgaris L.
Aluminum toxicity is a very important factor limiting crop productivity on acid soils. Early effects of aluminum toxicity comprise inhibition of cell division and effects on root elongation. The plasma membrane can be the primary target of aluminum toxicity and thus, vital staining techniques could be a powerful tool in determining effects of metal stress on the plasma membrane. In this paper. we discuss the effects of Al on growth and membrane integrity by staining root tips with a mixture of fluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide. The results show a good correlation between results from growth measurement and the vital staining. From the comparison of the luminosity patterns generated by vital staining it is easy to determine Al-resistant varieties, revealing this technique as a powerful and fast method for determining tolerance to Al in different varieties.
Gunsé
Benet
B
Laboratorio Fisiología Vegetal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Spain.
Garzón
Teresa
T
Barceló
Juan
J
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000535:Aluminum / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005452:Fluoresceins / Q000494:pharmacology; D027805:Phaseolus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D011419:Propidium / Q000494:pharmacology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods*
D004396:Coloring Agents; D005452:Fluoresceins; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D011419:Propidium; D000535:Aluminum; C018506:diacetylfluorescein