Variations among rice cultivars on root oxidation and Cd uptake

In order to understand the mechanisms on the variation between rice cultivars in Cd uptake and accumulation, two pot soil experiments were conducted with typical rice cultivars that varied greatly in soil Cd uptake. The experiments with six rice cultivars showed that the root oxidation abilities of rice differed with rice cultivars and also with types of the cultivars, the cultivars with indica consanguinity were significantly higher than the cultivars with japonica consanguinity. Root oxidation abilities of the rice cultivars correlated positively and significantly （P〈0.01） with their Cd concentrations and Cd quantity accumulations in rice plants. The experiments with two rice cultivars showed that significant differences also existed between the two cultivars in pot soil redox potentials, which of Shan you 63 （higher soil Cd accumulator） were significantly higher than that of Wu yun jing 7 （lower soil Cd accumulator） under different soil Cd levels, but the degrees of the differences varied with soil Cd levels. The differences were larger under soil Cd treatments than the control. The results indicate that root oxidation ability, especially in Cd contaminated soil, is one of the main mechanisms which dominate Cd uptake and accumulation by rice plant.

Effects of Selenium on Lipid Peroxidation and Oxidizing Ability of Rice Roots under Ferrous Stress

Water culture experiment was conducted to study the effects of selenium(Se) on glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) activity,reduced glutathione(GSH) concentration and the accumulation of malonaldehyde(MDA),the product of lipid peroxidation in rice seedling,as well as the effect of se on oxidizing ability of roots under ferrous stress.Results showed that appropriate amount of se significantly increased GSH-Px activity in rice leaves,F=5.5 *,enhanced the amount of GSH and oxidizing ability of roots and reduced the concentration of MDA,F=4.9 *.Compared with Se0+Fe treatment,Se treatments increased the dry matter weight of rice seedling from 10.06% to 10.43%,F=4.09 *.

Effect of Selenium on Root Oxidizing Ability and Yield of Rice under Ferrous Stress

To study the effects of selenium on root oxidizing ability and yield of rice under ferrous stress, a pot culture experiment was conducted, the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and the concentration of malonaldelyde (MDA) were determined. The root oxidizing ability and yield characters of rice were examined. Results showed that appropriate amount of Se enhanced the activity of glutathione peroxidase and the oxidizing ability of rice roots significantly, reduced the concentration of MDA, increased 1000-grain weight of rice, F = 26.96**, decreased empty and blighted grain rate, increased the rice yield, F = 11.53**, and enhanced the rice resistance under ferrous stress.

Allium cepa root tip assay in assessment of toxicity of magnesium oxide nanoparticles and microparticles

Allium cepa bioassay had been used from decades for the assessment of toxicants and their harmful effects on environment as well as human health. Magnesium oxide（MgO） particles are being utilized in different fields. However, reports on the adverse effects of MgO nanoparticles on the environment and mankind are scarce. Hence, the toxicity of MgO particles is of concern because of their increased utilization. In the current study, A. cepa was used as an indicator to assess the toxicological efficiency of MgO nano-and microparticles（NPs and MPs） at a range of exposure concentrations（12.5, 25, 50, and100 μg/m L）. The toxicity was evaluated by using various bioassays on A. cepa root tip cells such as comet assay, oxidative stress and their uptake/internalization profile. Results indicated a dose dependent increase in chromosomal aberrations and decrease in mitotic index（MI） when compared to control cells and the effect was more significant for NPs than MPs（at p 〈 0.05）. Comet analysis revealed that the Deoxyribonucleic acid（DNA） damage in terms of percent tail DNA ranged from 6.8–30.1 over 12.5–100 μg/m L concentrations of MgO NPs and was found to be significant at the exposed concentrations. A significant increase in generation of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide radicals was observed in accordance with the lipid peroxidation profile in both MgO NPs and MPs treated plants when compared with control. In conclusion, this investigation revealed that MgO NPs exposure exhibited greater toxicity on A. cepa than MPs.