Zinc deficiency is one of the most widespread micronutrient deficiencies in plants and causes severe reductions in crop production. There are a number of physiological impairments in Zn-deficient cells causing inhibition of the growth, differentiation and development of plants. Increasing evidence indicates that oxidative damage to critical cell compounds resulting from attack by reactive O2 species (ROS) is the basis of disturbances in plant growth caused by Zn deficiency. Zinc interferes with membrane-bound NADPH oxidase producing ROS. In Zn-deficient plants the iron concentration increases, which potentiates the production of free radicals. The Zn nutritional status of plants influences photooxidative damage to chloroplasts, catalysed by ROS. Zinc-deficient leaves are highly light-sensitive, rapidly becoming chlorotic and necrotic when exposed to high light intensity. Zinc plays critical roles in the defence system of cells against ROS, and thus represents an excellent protective agent against the oxidation of several vital cell components such as membrane lipids and proteins, chlorophyll, SH-containing enzymes and DNA. The cysteine, histidine and glutamate or aspartate residues represent the most critical Zn- binding sites in enzymes, DNA-binding proteins (Zn-finger proteins) and membrane proteins. In addition, animal studies have shown that Zn is involved in inhibition of apoptosis (programmed cell death) which is preceded by DNA and membrane damage through reactions with ROS. contents Summary 185 I. introduction 186 II. effect of zinc on production of reactive oxygen species 186 III. membrane damage by reactive oxygen species 193 III. membrane damage by reactive oxygen species 193 V. involvement of zinc in plant stress tolerance 199 VI. conclusions 199 Acknowledgements 200 References 200.

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Tansley Review No. 111: Possible roles of zinc in protecting plant cells from damage by reactive oxygen species.

Zinc toxicity and problems with regard to tolerance and ecological significance are briefly discussed. Differential tolerance of plant genotypes exposed to zinc toxicity is a promising approach to enrich our understanding of zinc tolerance in plants. Knowledge concerning the physiology and biochemistry with regard to phytotoxicity, uptake and transport of zinc and tolerance and its characterization are also discussed. The cytotoxic effects of zinc on plants are elucidated. The major change was seen in the nucleus of the root tip cells due to zinc toxicity. The chromatin material was highly condensed and some of the cortical cells showed disruption and dilation of nuclear membrane in presence of 7.5 mM zinc. The cytoplasm became structureless, disintegration of cell organelles and the development of vacuoles were also observed. The number of nucleoli also increased in response to zinc resulting in the synthesis of new protein involved in heavy metal tolerance. This review may help in interdisciplinary studies to assess the ecological significance of metal stress.

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00885964/document

Effect of metal toxicity on plant growth and metabolism: I. Zinc

Publisher Summary This chapter emphasizes on the effects that lime and phosphate applications have on the soil–plant system. An understanding of such effects is essential for those involved in the development and management of acid, phosphate-fixing soils. The response of crop plants to liming has been reviewed extensively by Pearson. In acid soils with a pH less than 5.0–5.5, initial lime applications result in large increases in crop growth and yield. The positive growth response is because of amelioration of aluminium (Al) toxicity because the soluble and exchangeable soil Al precipitates as hydroxy-Al species as the pH is raised. An understanding of the chemistry of soil A1 is central to the understanding of the fertility of acid soils. Because phytotoxic concentrations of soluble and exchangeable A1 often limits crop production on acid soils, there is increasing interest in basing lime requirements on estimates of exchangeable or reactive pools of soil A1 rather than on the amount required to bring the soil to an arbitrarily defined pH such as 6.5. Phosphate deficiency is common on highly weathered acid soils that often possess a high phosphate fixation capacity. In soils high in organic matter, liming may result in an initial burst of microbial activity and the mineralization of soil organic phosphorus.

Lime and Phosphate in the Soil-Plant System

The effect of varied supply of P (2.5× 10−5 to 6× 10−4 M) and Zn (0 to 10−6 M) on uptake and concentrations of P and Zn was studied in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. Deltapine 15/21) grown in nutrient solution under controlled environmental conditions. At a given Zn supply, increasing levels of P had no significant effect on the concentrations of total Zn in plants. However, increasing levels of P induced or enhanced visual Zn deficiency symptoms when the Zn concentration in the nutrient solution was low. The concentrations of water-soluble Zn in roots and shoots constituted 60% of the total Zn concentrations for plants grown with low P and 30% for plants grown with high P. The concentration of water-soluble Zn in leaves, but not total Zn, was closely correlated with visual Zn deficiency symptoms, levels of chlorophyll, super oxide dismutase and membrane permeability. The critical deficiency concentration of water-soluble Zn in cotton leaves was in the range of 6 to 7 μg (g dry weight)−1 or about 1.0 μg (g fresh weight)−1. The results show that high P concentrations in plant tissue decrease the physiological availability of Zn. Water-soluble Zn in the tissue appears to be a suitable indicator for Zn nutritional status in general and phosphorus-induced Zn deficiency in particular. Also in field-grown orange trees (Citrus sinensis) visual Zn deficiency symptoms in leaves were closely related to the concentration of water-soluble Zn.

Mechanism of phosphorus-induced zinc deficiency in cotton. III. Changes in physiological availability of zinc in plants Is mail

Deficiencies of zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) are global nutritional problems and caused most often by their limited dietary intake. Increasing Zn and Fe concentrations of staple food crops such as wheat is therefore an important global challenge. This study investigated the effects of varied nitrogen (N) and Zn supply on the total uptake, remobilization and partitioning of Zn, Fe and N in durum wheat throughout its ontogenesis. Plants were grown under greenhouse conditions with high or low supply of N and Zn, and harvested at 8 different developmental stages for analysis of Zn, Fe and N in leaves, stems, husks and grains. The results obtained showed that the Zn and Fe uptake per plant was enhanced up to 4-fold by high N supply while the increases in plant growth by high N supply were much less. When both the Zn and N supplies were high, approximately 50% of grain Zn and 80% of grain Fe were provided by post-anthesis shoot uptake, indicating that the contribution of remobilization to grain accumulation was higher for Zn than for Fe. At the high N and Zn application, about 60% of Zn, but only 40% of Fe initially stored in vegetative parts were retranslocated to grains, and nearly 80% of total shoot Zn and 60% of total shoot Fe were harvested with grains. All these values were significantly lower at the low N treatment. Results indicate that N nutrition is a critical factor in both the acquisition and grain allocation of Zn and Fe in wheat.

R. E. Warnock

Papers

Micronutrient uptake and mobility within corn plants (Zea mays L.) in relation to phosphorus-induced zinc deficiency.