Concentrations of potentially toxic elements and soil environmental quality evaluation of a typical Prosecco vineyard of the Veneto region (NE Italy)

Purpose The aim of this work was to assess the concentrations of potentially toxic elements and to evaluate the soil quality of a typical Prosecco Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin vineyard of the Veneto region, NE Italy. Materials and methods Soil samples and leaves of Taraxacum officinale and Vitis vinifera were collected during spring–summer 2014. Element determination (Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, V, and Zn) were performed with ICP-OES after microwave digestion of samples. Soil quality was assessed via the biological soil quality (BSQ-ar) index. Lipid peroxidation test was performed to evaluate the vegetation oxidative stress, based on malondialdehyde (MDA) content via spectrophotometer. Results and discussion High concentrations of Al,Mg, and P were identified in soil, while high contents of Al, Cu, Fe, and Zn were found in V. vinifera leaves. The high concentrations in soil are probably due to agricultural activities, whereas those in leaves are probably due to atmospheric deposition and repeated use of foliar sprays in viticulture. The bioconcentration factor showed an effective transport of Cu, P, and Zn, from soil to leaf. The BSQ-ar values registered were similar to those obtained in preserved soils; hence, the biological class (VI) of these soils is high. The MDA content in T. officinale and V. vinifera leaves was below the reference value for T. officinale (2.9 ± 0.2 μM), suggesting that the metal content did not stress the vegetation in the investigated site. Conclusions The MDA value for V. vinifera (1.1 ± 0.7 μM) could be adopted as another control value for soil quality, which in our case is of Bgood quality.^ Moreover, our results suggest that high concentrations of elements detected in the analyzed samples do not influence negatively the quality of soil, but a better agronomic management could improve soil quality in the studied area

Wykorzystanie elektroforezy kapilarnej do pomiaru zawartości zredukowanej i utlenionej formy glutationu oraz kwasu askorbinowego w korzeniach i segmentach liści Zea mays stresowanych Cd i Cu

The concentration of non-enzymatic antioxidants such as ascorbate and glutathione in tissues is one of the major plant responses to biotic and many abiotic stresses, including metals. Therefore, it is crucial to develop the most effective methods for simultaneous quantitative analysis of these antioxidants. Capillary zone electrophoresis allows relatively fast and effective analysis. The aim of the paper was to apply and optimise the capillary electrophoresis conditions for simultaneous determination of glutathione, glutathione disulphide, ascorbate, and dehydroascorbate in small plant tissue samples exposed to copper and cadmium. The method ensures good linearity and reproducibility, with correlation coefficients 0.988 for ascorbate and 0.999 for glutathione and glutathione disulphide, and with detection limits approximately 2.50, 0.65 and 0.50 ppm, respectively. Cu stress was found to increase the ascorbate concentration and glutathione content in leaves, while Cd increased glutathione in the oldest leaf segments and root.Zawartość nieenzymatycznych antyoksydantów takich jak kwas askorbinowy oraz glutation w roślinach jest jedną z głównych form odpowiedzi roślin na biotyczne i abiotyczne czynniki stresowe, w tym na metale ciężkie. Dlatego też niezbędne jest rozwijanie efektywnych metod jednoczesnego ilościowego oznaczania tych antyoksydantów. Elektroforeza kapilarna pozwala na takie relatywnie szybkie i efektywne analizy. Celem pracy było zastosowanie oraz optymalizacja metody jednoczesnego pomiaru zawartości glutationu, disiarczku glutationu, kwasu askorbinowego oraz kwasu dehydroaskorbinowego w małych próbkach roślinnych z użyciem elektroforezy kapilarnej. Opracowana metoda zapewnia dobrą liniowość i powtarzalność ze współczynnikami korelacji na poziomie 0,988 dla kwasu askorbinowego oraz 0,999 dla glutationu i disiarczku glutationu, z limitem detekcji odpowiednio 2,50; 0,65 oraz 0,50 ppm. Stwierdzono, że stres indukowany nadmiarem Cu powodował wzrost zawartości kwasu askorbinowego i glutationu w liściach, podczas gdy po zastosowaniu Cd obserwowano wzrost zawartości glutationu w starszej części liścia i korzeniu