Effects of Copper on Nitrogen Assimilation in Copper-tolerant and Non-tolerant Populations of Elsholtzia haichowensis S.

Two Elsholtzia haichowensis S. populations, copper-tolerant (TLS) and non-tolerant (HA) ones were studied in hydroponic experiment for the nitrogen assimilation and plant growth under excess Cu conditions. The results demonstrated that there were surely the differences in nitrogen assimilation and plant growth between the two populations. Excess Cu caused evident decreases in the shoot and root biomass and root/shoot biomass ratio in HA population while no significant changes happened in TLS population. In addition, in HA population, excess Cu also induced apparent declines in activities of nitrate reductase (NR, EC 1.6.6.1) and glutamine synthetase (GS, EC 6.3.1.2) in the leaves and roots as well as the contents of nitrate, ammonium and amino acids in the roots. In TLS population, excess Cu did not significantly affect the NR activities in the leaves and roots and the nitrate content in the roots, and apparently elevated the root ammonium and amino acids contents, although it also clearly reduced the GS activities in the leaves and roots. Besides, with the addition of Cu in the culture solution, the Cu contents in the leaves and roots of the two populations markedly increased. But this increase was significantly lower in TLS population than that in HA population; the fact might be partly responsible for the relative stabilization of nitrogen assimilation in TLS population compared to that in HA population.