Physiological changes in barley plants under combined toxicity of aluminum, copper and cadmium

Crop production on acid soil is markedly reduced, further, a multiple heavy metal pollution except Al on acid soil is detected in many areas. The present study was undertaken to assess the toxicities of Al, Cd, and Cu separately and in combinations, three heavy metals very often coexisting on acid soil, and to identify their interactions in two kinds of barley seedlings differing in Al tolerance. The plant growth, metals accumulations, total soluble protein and sugar contents, MDA contents and the activities of SOD and POD were estimated in roots and leaves after 5-week supply of the heavy metals excess in the nutrient solution. The results indicated that the stress treatments including low pH (pH 4.5) alone all adversely affected plant growth and disturbed the cell metabolism seriously. The development of toxic symptoms corresponded to a high accumulation of Al, Cd, Cu and to a poor increase in soluble sugar contents but to a high increase in MDA contents, to the decrease in soluble protein contents and to the much elevated SOD and POD activities in both roots and leaves. In addition, binary metal combinations of Al + Cd and Al + Cu both produced the synergistic response for the growth of barley seedlings, in particular for Shang 70-119, while, ternary metal combination of Al + Cu + Cd produced different interactions in two kinds of genotypes, thus, the significant synergistic response was seen in Shang 70-119, but the antagonistic response was detected in Gebeina. The different responses to ternary metal combination of two genotypes may result from the different metal bioaccumulation patterns, hence, the existence of Cd and Cu promoted Al accumulation in Shang 70-119 but inhibited Al accumulation in Gebeina.