DIFFERENTIAL TOLERANCE OF THREE CULTIVARS OF AGROSTIS CAPILLARIS L. TO CADMIUM, COPPER, LEAD, NICKEL AND ZINC

Abstract

Root growth of seedlings of the Agrostis capillaris L. cultvars Parys (copper tolerant), Goginan (lead/zinc tolerant), and Highland (non tolerant) was measured after 14 d growth in solution cultures with increasing concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn. Increasing inhibition of root growth of all three cultivars occurred with increasing concentrations of all five metals, Highland being most affected. In Cu, Parys was least affected; in Pb and Zn Goginan was least affected. Parys and Goginan thus display specific resistence to these metals. They are also similar in having greater root lengths at higher metal concentrations of all five metals than Highland. They thus exhibit non‐specific low level tolerance to metals other than those present at toxic levels in the soils from which they were derived. Copyright © 1985, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved