Fe Deficiency Responses in Parietaria diffusa: A Calcicole Plant

Abstract

Pellitory of the wall (Parietaria diffusa L.), a dicotyledonous wild plant belonging to the family of Urticaceae, is widespread on calcareous soils, and also on walls and debris, were lime concentration, sometimes, is extremely high; it may then be considered a calcicole plant. Since high pH values and the presence of CaCO₃ and HCO₃ ⁻ cause low Fe solubility, its availability in such substrates could be the ecological factor limiting the distribution of spontaneous plants in calcareous soils, and a calcareous soil‐born plant should be characterized by a higher Fe‐efficiency in comparison with calcifuge ones. Parietaria diffusa was grown in nutrient solutions in the presence and in the absence of Fe, and in the presence of CaCO₃ and bicarbonate at two concentrations (5 and 15 mM), in order to simulate a natural substrate with different lime contents. Some biochemical parameters were determined and the morphological and hystological modifications of the root system were evaluated in order to verify whether Parietaria is a Fe‐efficient plant and adopts the adaptive mechanisms of Strategy I Fe‐efficient plants.

Keywords:

• Acidification
• Fe(III)‐reductase
• HCO₃ ⁻

Acknowledgments

The research was supported by MURST, Cofin 2000 to G. Z.