Plant Soil Environ., 2020, 66(4):149-154 | DOI: 10.17221/108/2020-PSE

The biological effects of strontium (⁸⁸Sr) on Chinese cabbageOriginal Paper

Weirong Zhang¹, Zheng Kang¹, Qiang Wang¹, Nianwei Qiu ORCID...^*,1, Min Chen², Feng Zhou^*,3

¹ College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, P.R. China

² Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Stress, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, P.R. China

³ School of Food Science, Nanjing Xiaozhuang University, Nanjing, P.R. China

Steady-state strontium (⁸⁸Sr) plays an important role in human health. Applying a proper amount of ⁸⁸Sr to vegetables can improve their nutritional value. To investigate the biological effects of ⁸⁸S on vegetables, three-leaf Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L.) seedlings were provided with a nutrient solution containing 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0 and 10 mmol/L SrCl₂ by the hydroponic culture. The results showed that SrCl₂ at low concentrations (0.2 and 0.5 mmol/L) promoted the growth of Chinese cabbage, while SrCl₂ at high concentrations (2.0-10.0 mmol/L)significantly inhibited the growth. SrCl₂ at high concentrations did not decrease the chlorophyll content and protein content in Chinese cabbage leaves, nor did it affect the photosynthetic capacity of leaves. The main reason that SrCl₂ at high concentrations inhibited the growth of Chinese cabbage was that strontium affected the absorption of calcium. SrCl₂ at the concentration of 0.2 and 0.5 mmol/L could significantly increase leaf protein, chlorophyll, and water content and promote the growth of Chinese cabbage. The supplement of SrCl₂ at these two concentrations may be beneficial to the growth and yield of Chinese cabbage.

Keywords: vegetable; strontium fertiliser; hyperaccumulator; strontium toxicity; plant metabolism

Published: April 30, 2020  Show citation