Effect of copper and vanadium ions on morphology of carrot (Daucus carota L. subsp. sativus (Hoffm.) Schübl. & G. Martens) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants

Abstract

In the whole world, researches are conducting on toxic effect of heavy metals on living organisms. The problem with heavy metal occurrence in the environment is not only associated with their toxicity, but also with their ability to accumulate inside living organisms. This study presents the effect of copper and vanadium ions on germination and growth of carrot (Daucus carota L subsp. sativus (Hoffm.) Schübl. & G. Martens.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The experiment was carried out in two independent series with ten repetitions each. The water solutions of copper (CuSO4) and vanadium (H4NO3V) salts with the concentrations: 0.6 mM, 0.3 mM, 3 mM and 6 mM were used. The control groups were objects watered with distilled water. The conducted experiment showed that, the copper and vanadium ions had negative effect on germination and growth of plants. With the increasing of concentration of heavy metal ions an inhibition of seeds germination capacity was observed. The length of D. carota and T. aestivum seedlings in each salt solutions was inhibited, compared to the control group. During the growth phase, the stimulation of wheat leaves growth, only on copper solutions with concentration 3 mM and 6 mM was observed. Changes of a fresh and dry weight, and a water content were observed, depending on the copper and vanadium ions concentration.

A preliminary study on emergence and growth of carrot seedlings in response to varying proportions of vermicompost and copper

“…Further increase in Cu concentration to 6 mM reduced the wheat plant root growth by a significant amount compared to control. 4 In a pot experiment, Hou et al 2 found that root and shoot dry weights of carrot were reduced by 0.14-fold when exposed to >400 mg Cu kg -1 .In another instance, carrot plants grown in soils contaminated with Cu from natural sources such as weathering of mineral deposits led to accumulation of excessive amount of Cu in the roots ranging from 14 to 109 mg kg -1 . 5,6 As such, many countries have set safe limits for Cu in agricultural soils.…”