In order to investigate nocturnal uptake and assimilation of NO2 by C3 and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants, they were fumigated with 4 μl I-115N-Iabeled nitrogen diox­ide (NO2) for 8 h. The amound of NO2 and assimilation of NO2by plants were determined by mass spectrometry and Kjeldahl-nitrogen based mass spectrometry, respectively. C3 plants such as kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and ground cherry (Phy- salis alkekengi) showed a high uptake and assimilation during daytime as high as 1100 to 2700 ng N mg-1 dry weight. While tobacco and ground cherry strongly reduced uptake and assimilation of NO2 during nighttime, kenaf kept high nocturnal uptake and assimilation of NO2 as high as about 1500 ng N mg-1 dry weight. Stomatal conductance measurements indicated that there were no significant differences to account for the differences in the uptake of NO2 by tobacco and kenaf during nighttime. CAM plants such as Sedum sp., Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (kalanchoe) and Aloe arborescens exhibited nocturnal uptake and assimilation of NO2. However, the values of uptake and assimilation of NO2 both during daytime and nighttime was very low (at most about 500 ng N mg-1 dry weight) as compared with those of above mentioned C3 plants. The present findings indicate that kenaf is an efficient phytoremediator of NO2 both during daytime and nighttime.

As reported previously, atmospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at an ambient level increased plant size and the contents of cell constituents. We investigated this effect of atmospheric NO2 on decontamination of cadmium (Cd) by kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus). Seventeen-day-old seedlings of kenaf were grown in air either with NO2 or without NO2. (Plants were exposed to 100 +/- 50 ppb NO2 for 10 d under irrigation of 0.1% Hyponex supplemented with 20 microM CdCl2.) Plants were then harvested and the biomass of stems, leaves, and roots, as well as the content of Cd in the organs, was determined. The stem and root biomass per plant were 1.25-1.27-fold greater in +NO2 plants than in -NO2 plants. The Cd content per stem was more than 30% greater in +NO2 plants than in -NO2 plants.