To be able to develop new biofortification and phytoremediation technologies, knowledge on the mechanisms involved in processes of trace element uptake, transport, accumulation, distribution, compartmentalization and ligand environment in plant tissues is needed. For this type of studies the use of techniques enabling imaging of the element distribution and speciation in plant tissues and cells with high spatial resolution and sensitivity, is essential. Such techniques are X-ray fluorescence micro-spectroscopy and micro-X-ray absorption spectroscopy, micro-particle induced X-ray emission and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.
B.04 Guest lecture
COBISS.SI-ID: 3296079New insights into the organisation and distribution of phyto-nutrients in ever-smaller units of life – tissues, cells, and intracellular organelles – is only enabled by constant innovations in sample preparation protocols, by the implementation of high-resolution imaging techniques, and by exploiting increasingly sophisticated computers and image-processing software. Furthermore, visualising plant processes in a correlative approach, by using different mapping instruments on the same sample, or even different scanning techniques integrated within the same instrument, allows us to retrieve more information than would be possible by using any single instrument.
F.17 Transfer of existing technologies, know-how, methods and procedures into practice
COBISS.SI-ID: 2862159Idrija is the oldest mining town in Slovenia, famous for extracting mercury ore from the slate rock. The effects of the multiannual mining are numerous: the mining activity has affected the environment, the ground and the soil-quality, and it consequently represents a threat to the local inhabitants. The vegetation is the first natural element affected by toxic substances, which enter terrestrial ecosystems from the air, the soil or the water systems. The plants growing in this kind of environment have adapted to the circumstances by developing particular detoxification mechanisms. Mycorrhiza is a symbiotic association between fungi and higher plants, commonly found in the plants growing in natural environments, and especially typical for the plants growing in the areas contaminated with metals. The purpose of this diploma work was to study the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculation on the mercury absorption of the corn and the growth of this corn. We also determined the content of photosynthetic pigments and estimated the AM colonisation level. The mercury concentration level was determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The highest level of mercury was measured in the plants inoculated with the Idrija inoculum and in the roots of the plants growing in the substrate with the added bacterial extract of the Idrija inoculum. The concentration levels of mercury were higher in the roots than in the sprouts. The arbusculus density was the highest in the plants inoculated with the Idrija inoculum, and the vesicle density was the highest in the plants inoculated with the commercial inoculum. The biomass of root and sprout was the biggest in the plants inoculated with the Idrija inoculum without additional mercury.
D.10 Educational activities
COBISS.SI-ID: 10342473Idrija is more than 500 years old town in Slovenia. It is notable for its mercury (Hg) mine with stores and infrastructure. As a consequence of mercury mining, large amounts of Hg were released into the environment and in past twenty years researcher devoted considerable attention to this environmental issue due to high Hg toxicity. Mercury is chemically very active, and is present in the chain of biogeochemical cycling and global spreading. The faith of Hg in the environment deserves special attention also due to transformation and biomagnification in the food chains. We were interested in Hg concentrations in herbs collected at various locations in Idrija. Herbs were prepared for use in various ways. They were washed in tap water or left unwashed, air or freeze-dried. In addition we were interested in Hg concentrations in tea infusions from herbs prepared in different ways. The measurement results were highly variable. The results show that washing the herbs reduce the concentration of Hg in herbs prepared by freeze-drying. With drying in the sun, washing of the herbs does not have any effects since the concentrations of Hg in washed and uwashed plant material were very similar. In the prepared tea infusion Hg values were below the detection limit. The maximal Hg concentration was measured in Melissa officinalis while the minimal was measured in Hypericum perforatum where the Hg concentrations was below the upper allowed value of Hg 0,5 mg kg-1. With this thesis we aimed to raise the awareness of the people that high Hg burdens are still present in the environment. We have also provided guidance on how to prepare and dry herbs for tea infusions.
D.10 Educational activities
COBISS.SI-ID: 9780809Mercury (Hg) is one of the most toxic metals found in the environment, known to accumulate in food webs with a biomagnification pattern at successive trophic levels. Uptake, transport and transformation of Hg in plants depend on the soil properties as well as the plants metabolic processes. Since selenium (Se) resembles the chemical properties of sulphur and has a high affinity to bind Hg, Se could play an important role in mercury detoxification. Therefore, understanding the behaviour of Hg and Se in plant organisms might help us to unravel Hg and Se uptake and translocation in plant tissues. This work focused on the development/application of imaging of the spatial distribution of Hg and Se in plants at the macro (organ/tissue) and micro (tissue/cellular) level. For elemental imaging both laser ablation-ICPMS and synchrotron radiation-based micro-X-ray fluorescence spectrometry techniques were used for fast, low-resolution () 8 μm) mapping of large areas (≥ 1 mm2) and high-resolution (sub-μm) mapping of small areas (≤ 0.05 mm2), respectively.
B.03 Paper at an international scientific conference
COBISS.SI-ID: 5279258