Nitrate assimilation in pea leaves in the presence of cadmium

Supply of 0.01 to 1.0 mM Cd acetates either to the intact seedlings or to the excised leaves of 15 dPisum sativum L. Cv. Bonvilla seedlings inhibitedin vivo nitrate reductase activity (NRA), total soluble protein, chlorophyll, and carotenoids. The inhibition was independent of metal concentrations. In excised leaf tissues, higher concentrations (0.5 to 1.0 mM) of Cd had no conspicuous effect on nitrate assimilation. When NRA was assayed byin vitro method, an increase of 12 to 45% was obtained with Cd in intact and excised leaves. It appears that NRA is more sensitive to Cd concentration than any other parameter examined.