Morpho-physiological response of Populus alba to erythromycin: A timeline of the health status of the plant

Populus alba Villafranca clone was chosen for a proof of concept study to determine the potential uptake and accumulation of antibiotics by trees. Plants were grown hydroponically and irrigated with a recirculating Hoagland's nutrient solution (control) and Hoagland's nutrient solution fortified with erythromycin at 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg L− 1. After 3 and 28 days of treatment, poplar plants were separated into roots, stem, and leaves. Plants showed good health all over the period of treatment, and no differences in poplar growth for all the concentrations of erythromycin tested were observed. Quantification of erythromycin was performed using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in positive ion mode using multiple reaction ion monitoring. Erythromycin was detected in all organs analyzed. Roots showed an erythromycin concentration tenfold higher than leaves. The photochemical efficiency of photosystem II did not show a dose-dependant trend. From the quenching analysis of chlorophyll fluorescence, low nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) and high photochemical quenching (qP) for the first week of erythromycin exposure was observed, depending on leaves position along the stem. Results suggest a short term adaptation of the photosynthetic apparatus of Populus alba in response to environmental realistic erythromycin concentrations.