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Investigating the effect of soil contamination with heavy metals on the growth and development of wheat seedlings in greenhouse conditions
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Nasrin Sabour-Moghaddam *    |
| Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran , sabourmoghaddam@pnu.ac.ir |
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Abstract: (265 Views) |
The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of some selected heavy metals on wheat growth and performance under greenhouse conditions. The experiment was conducted using two wheat cultivars, Pishgam and Azar2. Five heavy metals, namely cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb), were applied to the soil at desired concentration for each. After one month of cultivation, various growth parameters were measured and subjected to statistical analysis. The results indicated that all the tested heavy metals significantly reduced most of the wheat growth parameters. Cadmium was the most toxic metal, followed by nickel, lead, chromium, and zinc, in decreasing order of toxicity. Cadmium treatment decreased the plant dry weight, plant height, and total protein content by 54.9%, 45%, and 47%, respectively. Nickel, lead, and chromium treatments reduced the plant dry weight by 28%, 17%, and 15%, respectively, while zinc treatment did not affect the plant dry weight or height significantly. However, zinc treatment also decreased the total protein content and root dry weight by 9% and 12%, respectively. The findings of this study demonstrated that the presence of heavy metals in the soil can impair the growth and performance of wheat, which is a strategic crop in Iran. Therefore, it is necessary to revise the permissible levels of some of these metals in agricultural soils, especially those used for wheat cultivation.
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Article number: 5 |
| Keywords: Heavy metals, absorption of heavy metals, nitrogen fixation, phytotoxicity, wheat |
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Biosafety
Received: 2024/02/21 | Accepted: 2024/04/29 | Published: 2024/08/28
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