The difference in antioxidant capacity of four alfalfa cultivars in response to Zn

The aim of this study was to evaluate antioxidative responses in roots, stem and leaves of four alfalfa cultivars to different concentrations of zinc (Zn) (0, 300, 600 and 900 μM) for 23 days. Among the four cultivars, Aohan displayed the highest Zn concentrations in tissues and the largest Zn amount in aerial parts. Zn stress induced the production of H2O2 and increased the content of free proline and activities of antioxidative enzymes in roots, stem and leaves of Aohan. Based on the above results, we concluded that Aohan is superior to other three cultivars for Zn phyto-remediation, which indicated that Aohan is a novel Zn accumulator and able to tolerate Zn-induced toxicity by activating the antioxidative defense system.