Impact of Lead Toxicity on Germination, Plant Growth, Yield and Metal Uptake in Radish Plants

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Horticulture Dept. Faculty of Agriculture, Damanhour Branch, Alex. Univ.

Abstract

The effects of lead on radish plants (Raphanus sativus L.) were investigated to understand the impact of leadaccumulation on seed germination, plant growth and yield. Two germination and pot experiments were carried out during the 2006 and 2007 seasons,at the Faculty of Agriculture, Damanhour Branch, Alexandria University.  Seeds and plants were treated with different concentrations of Pb: 0, 100, 200 and 300 ppm. Pb contents in both root and shoot tissues gradually increased with increasing the applied Pb concentration. More lead was accumulated in root tissues than in shoot tissues. The higher concentration of lead (300 ppm) caused a significant decrease in seed germination, plant height, leaves fresh and dry weights, leaves area and yield of (Raphanus sativus L.) Two polynomial quadratic equations were established to express the response of radish yield to Pb contamination. The experimental yield values and the corresponding calculated values were not significantly different as tested by high values of correlation coefficient.

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