© 2004 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Induction of callose in roots of Norway spruce seedlings after short-term exposure to aluminum
Yasuhiro Hirano (1, 2, 3), Elisabeth Graf Pannatier (1), Stefan Zimmermann (1) and Ivano Brunner (1)
1. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland / 2. Kansai Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Kyoto 612-0855, Japan / 3. Corresponding author (yhirano@affrc.go.jp) / Received February 27, 2004; accepted April 2, 2004; published online September 1, 2004
Summary
Callose (1,3-β-glucan) is a suggested physiological indicator of aluminum (Al) toxicity in crop plants. It is not known if
callose serves a similar function in forest trees, because quantitative data on callose formation in tree roots are limited,
particularly under controlled conditions. To evaluate callose as a physiological indicator of Al toxicity in tree roots, we
quantified callose formation in roots of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings. Seedlings were grown in simulated soil solutions in the presence or absence (control) of Al under
controlled conditions. In seedlings grown in solutions containing 280 µM Al, callose concentrations in roots were twice as
high as control values after 6 h of Al treatment and 5 times higher than control values after 1 day. Thereafter, root callose
concentrations gradually decreased and were only twice as high as control values after 7 days. The presence of various Al
concentrations in the simulated soil solutions indicated that callose was induced by a relatively low Al concentration (84
µM). We conclude that callose in tree roots is an indicator of Al toxicity.
Keywords:
fine roots, 1,3-β-glucan, physiological indicator, Picea abies, soil acidification.
