Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026
Two-Dimensional Visualization and Quantification of Labile, Inorganic Plant Nutrients and Contaminants in Soil
Published on: September 1, 2020
Spatial distribution of cadmium in leaves of metal hyperaccumulating Thlaspi praecox using micro-PIXE
Katarina Vogel-Mikuš1, Marjana Regvar1, Jolanta Mesjasz-Przybyłowicz2
1Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Abstract:
* Localization of cadmium (Cd) and other elements was studied in the leaves of the field-collected cadmium/zinc (Cd/Zn) hyperaccumulator Thlaspi praecox from an area polluted with heavy metals near a lead mine and smelter in Slovenia, using micro-PIXE (proton-induced X-ray emission). * The samples were prepared using cryofixation. Quantitative elemental maps and average concentrations in whole-leaf cross-sections and selected tissues were obtained. * Cd was preferentially localized in the lower epidermis (820 microg g(-1) DW), vascular bundles and upper epidermis, whereas about twice the lower concentrations were found in the mesophyll. * Taking into account the large volume of the mesophyll compared with the epidermis, the mesophyll is indicated as a relatively large pool of Cd, possibly involved in Cd detoxification/dilution at the tissue and cellular level.
