METABOLIC RESPONSES OF PLANTS DIFFERING IN SO2 SENSITIVITY TOWARDS SO2 FUMIGATION

After SO//2 exposure it was obvious that the pea cultivar Spaeths Violetta (SV) is more sensitive to the pollutant than the pea cultivar Wunder von Kelvedon. In comparison to SV, after 18 days of exposure, the less sensitive WvK showed increases in yield at lower SO//2 concentrations, sulphur accumulation in roots, and higher putrescine concentrations. After a short-term fumigation with 1. 5 mg SO//2m** minus **3 differences between the cultivars could be recognized concerning the contents of sulphite and malondialdehyde and the activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase. In a fumigation experiment with deciduous trees, Tilia cordata was more sensitive to SO//2 than Populus nigra. The findings demonstrate that SO//2 tolerant plants have a more effective mechanism for the compensation of injurious reactions in metabolism than non-tolerant plants. Refs.