CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Objective: The aim of the present work was to analyze the effect of Cd on soybean seedlings growth and the relationship with the distribution and concentration of macro-microelements. Methods: The ions concentrations were determined by ICP-MS. The extraction efficiency and digestion time were optimized. Also, oxidative stress parameters were determined and related with metal content. Results: The accumulated amount of dry matter in roots and leaves was lower in the Cd-treated group. Regression analysis showed that the exposure to Cd affected the accumulated amount of dry matter as well as the content of mineral elements in the analysis samples. In Cd treated plants, electrical conductivity (EC) increased respect to the controls, indicating that ionic permeability became altered. A strong inhibition of the chlorophylls (chl) biosynthesis in the Cd-treated group was also demonstrated by a decrease of chla and chlb concentration. This result was related with the observed significant decrease in the Mg uptake at the roots and leaves level. Conclusions: The stress caused by Cd exposure, evidenced by significantly high hydrogen peroxide levels in roots and leaves after 24 h and the content of specific macro-microelements is a factor that affects the accumulation of dry matter, EC and chlorophylls concentration.