锗对植物影响的研究进展

锗是良好的半导体材料,且具有清除自由基、抗衰老抗氧化等生物活性,在电子工业和医学领域应用广泛。目前在植物上的研究主要集中在提高植物品质,促进植物生长及对植物毒害等方面。本文综述了锗及其化合物的理化性质、起源与分布特征,分析了锗在影响植物生长方面的生理生化机制。锗具有清除自由基的电子结构,能改变土壤中酶活性和微生物,改变植物对营养元素的吸收和利用、影响植物光合作用、改变植物的抗氧化系统等。适宜剂量的锗能促进种子萌发,有效控制藻类生长,提高作物的品质。锗积累过多,影响生理代谢,抑制植物生长,产生毒害。锗在种子萌发、植物生长方面的研究与应用,为探索锗在调节植物生长、生理生态等方面的作用提供理论基础,为植物吸收利用锗,减少锗污染方面提供理论参考。

Mechanism and application of germanium in plant growth

Germanium (Ge), a semiconductor element belonging to group IV of the periodic table which is a series of carbon (C), silicon (Si), getin (Sn) and lead (Pb), can scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and is widely used in electrons and medicine. Although studies have shown that Ge exists in animals, plants and biomaterials, limited studies have analyzed the effect of Ge on plant physiology. Recent studies on plant Ge have mainly focused on improving plant growth and quality, and on plant damage toxicity. Thus in order to comprehensively understand Ge and its bioactivities, a detailed review of physiochemical properties, origin and distribution of Ge was conducted in this paper. The mechanisms of plant physiological and biochemical response to Ge as well as the application of Ge in plant growth were also comprehensively discussed. Ge could directly scavenge ROS due to its electron configuration 4S²4P². Ge played pivotal role in key enzyme activities and microbes related to nutrient transformation and cycling in soil. In plants, Ge changed nutrient absorption and utilization at a high efficiency. Ge also influenced plant photosynthesis by varying photosynthetic pigments. Ge enhanced the activities of endogenous antioxidant enzymes and non-enzymatic substances by chelating reaction in some vegetable and cereal plants. It increased the accumulation of polysaccharides, sugars, soluble proteins and amino acid in several plants. However, with excessive accumulation of Ge, normal metabolism of roots and shoots was interrupted in plants. Studies on the absorption, transport and distribution of Ge in plants as well as the corresponding mechanisms were very few. In future, there was need for further studies on the interactions of other elements with Ge. Until now, the application of Ge in agricultural production included seed germination, seedling growth and plant quality. Ge had also been applied to control algae growth. This paper provided the basis for Ge regulation of plant growth and the responding physiological and ecological mechanisms. It also provided a useful guide for Ge uptake by plants.