Effects of heavy metals on the absorbance and reflectance spectra of plants

Abstract. Published work on the reflectance of vegetation growing over soil mineralizations is reviewed. Experimental work was carried out on several species grown in a glasshouse and was extended to a pilot field study. In the laboratory studies, the most general effects of Cd, Cu, Pb or Zn were growth inhibition. A detailed study of the leaf pigments of pea plants showed that the chl a/chl b ratio (chl=chlorophyll) decreased under conditions of Cd or Cu stress but showed little effect with Pb or Zn. However, the absorption spectra of chloroplast pigments were not found to show any wavelength shifts with metal treatments, indicating that new spectral forms of chlorophyll were not produced as a stress response. A decrease in the total chlorophyll content of leaf tissue (fresh weight basis) was correlated with an increase in visible-wavelength leaf reflectance (R) of pea plants. R at infrared wavelengths of 0.85 μm, 1.65 μm and 2.20 μm decreased in metal-treated plants, compared with controls. Although exp...

[1]  Ronald J. P. Lyon,et al.  Detection of naturally heavy-metal-poisoned areas by LANDSAT-1 digital data , 1977 .

[2]  O. Machold.  Lamellar proteins of green and chlorotic chloroplasts as affected by iron deficiency and antibiotics. , 1971, Biochimica et biophysica acta.

[3]  J. Thornber.  Chlorophyll-Proteins: Light-Harvesting and Reaction Center Components of Plants , 1975 .

[4]  J. Barber,et al.  An improved method for isolating chloroplasts retaining their outer membranes. , 1977, Biochimica et biophysica acta.

[5]  R. S. Alberte,et al.  Water stress effects on the content and organization of chlorophyll in mesophyll and bundle sheath chloroplasts of maize. , 1977, Plant physiology.

[6]  D. Arnon.  COPPER ENZYMES IN ISOLATED CHLOROPLASTS. POLYPHENOLOXIDASE IN BETA VULGARIS. , 1949, Plant physiology.

[7]  Frank E. Booker.  The industrial archaeology of the Tamar Valley , 1967 .

[8]  J. Barber.  Photosynthesis in relation to model systems , 1979 .

[9]  H. Passow,et al.  The general pharmacology of the heavy metals. , 1961, Pharmacological reviews.

[10]  P. Nobel,et al.  Introduction to biophysical plant physiology , 1974 .

[11]  Compton J. Tucker,et al.  Spectral estimation of grass canopy variables , 1977 .

[12]  G. Suits,et al.  Verification of a reflectance model for mature corn with applications to corn blight detection , 1971 .

[13]  L. Duysens,et al.  The flattening of the absorption spectrum of suspensions, as compared to that of solutions. , 1956, Biochimica et biophysica acta.

[14]  E. B. Knipling.  Physical and physiological basis for the reflectance of visible and near-infrared radiation from vegetation , 1970 .