Increased groundwater levels cause iron toxicity in Glyceria fluitans (L.)

After restoration of the hydrology in a eutrophic wetland meadow seepage st rongly increased and the helophyte Glyceria fluitans intensively developed brown necrotic spots on 67% of the leaves at a site where groundwater table was highest. Sites where plants intensively developed brown necrotic spots acid sites where plants did not develop these spots were compared using so il pore water chemistry, root plaque content and plant nutrient concentrati on. At affected sites, iron concentrations in the soil pore water were 3.2 times higher (2616 mu mol l(-1)) resulting in 9.4 times higher iron plaque concentrations on the roots (473 mu mol g(-1) DW), 3.4 times higher iron co ncentrations in the youngest unaffected leaves (6.2 mu mol g(-1) DW) and 18 .2 times higher iron concentrations in the affected leaves (32.8 mu mol g(- 1) DW). No such differences were found for other elements. The location is known to be an iron-rich site with iron-rich groundwater in the subsoil. Fu rthermore, it is known that the reduction of insoluble Fe(III) oxides to Fe (II) in waterlogged soils is stimulated. It is therefore likely that the si te with the highest groundwater table possessed the highest iron concentrat ion in the soil pore water and that this relatively high iron concentration is responsible for the development of brown necrotic leaf spots after rest oration of the hydrology. This is the first observation of brown necrotic l eaf spot development, caused by iron toxicity, for wild plants growing unde r field conditions. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.