PMC

Interactive effects of PHE, Cd, and EBR on secondary metabolism-related (A) enzyme activities and (B) gene expression. Each value in the graph shows the mean with the standard deviation of three replicates. Means denoted by the same letters did not differ significantly at P < 0.05 according to Tukey’s test.

Effects of EBR on PHE and Cd detoxification-related enzyme activities, glutathione content, and related gene expression. Each value in the graph shows the mean with the standard deviation of three replicates. Means denoted by the same letters did not differ significantly at P < 0.05 according to Tukey’s test.

Interactive effects of PHE, Cd, and EBR on (A) antioxidant enzyme activities and (B) related gene expression. Each value in the graph shows the mean with the standard deviation of three replicates. Means denoted by the same letters did not differ significantly at P < 0.05, according to Tukey’s test.

Interactive effects of PHE, Cd, and EBR on (A) O₂∙^– (upper panel) and H₂O₂ accumulation (lower panel), (B) H₂O₂ contents, and (C) MDA contents in tomato leaves after 40 d of the respective treatments. Accumulation of O₂∙^– and H₂O₂ in leaves was detected by NBT and DAB staining, respectively. Each value in the graph shows the mean with the standard deviation of three replicates. Means denoted by the same letters did not differ significantly at P < 0.05 according to Tukey’s test. Horizontal bars=2cm.

Interactive effects of PHE, Cd, and EBR on (A) leaf gas exchange and (B) chlorophyll fluorescence quenching parameters in tomato. All measurements were taken on the third fully expanded leaves after 40 d of the respective treatments. The culture solution was co-contaminated with 100 µM PHE and 100 µM Cd. EBR (0.1 µM) was applied on the foliar portion. Data are the means of six biological replicates (±SD). Means denoted by the same letter did not differ significantly at P < 0.05 according to Tukey’s test.

Interactive effects of PHE, Cd, and EBR on (A) plant biomass, (B) PHE residue, and (C) Cd content in tomato plants after 40 d of the respective treatments. The culture solution was co-contaminated with 100 µM PHE and 100 µM Cd. EBR (0.1 µM) was applied on the foliar portion. Bars of the same colour with different letters are significantly (P <0.05) different according to Tukey’s test. Data are the means, and the error bar indicates ±SD (n=8 for dry weight analysis and n=3 for pollutant residue analysis).

Effects of PHE, Cd, and EBR alone or in combination on the maximum photochemical efficiency of PSII (F _v/F _m) and chlorophyll contents in tomato leaves after 40 d of the respective treatments. (A) Original image of the third leaves (upper panels) and pseudocolour image of F _v/F _m (lower panels); (B) photosynthetic pigment contents under different treatments. Data are the average of three replicates and are presented as the mean ±SD. Means denoted by the same letters did not differ significantly at P < 0.05 according to Tukey’s test. Horizontal bars=1cm.