Hexavalent chromium stress enhances the uptake of nitrate but reduces the uptake of ammonium and glycine in pak choi (Brassica chinensis L.).

Chromium (Cr) pollution affects plant growth and biochemical processes, so, the relative uptake of glycine, nitrate, and ammonium by pak choi (Brassica chinensis) seedlings in treatments with 0mgL and 10mgL Cr (VI) were detected by substrate-specific N-labelling in a sterile environment. The short-term uptake of N-labelled sources and N-enriched amino acids were detected by gas chromatography mass spectrometry to explore the mechanism by which Cr stress affects glycine uptake and metabolism, which showing that Cr stress hindered the uptake of ammonium and glycine but increased significantly the uptake of nitrate. Cr stress did not decrease the active or passive uptake of glycine, but it inhibited the conversion of glycine to serine in pak choi roots, indicating that the metabolism of glycine to serine in roots, rather than the root uptake, was the limiting step in glycine contribution to total N uptake in pak choi. Since Cr affects the relative uptake of different N sources, a feasible way to reduce Cr-induced stress is application of selective fertilization, in particular nitrate, in pak choi cultivation on Cr-polluted soil.