Soil lithium affects carrot growth by changing cation concentrations and physiological attributes

Hafiz Faiq Bakhat, Kunwar Rasul, Abu Bakr Umer Farooq, Hafiz Mohkum Hammad, Saira Afzal, Sunaina Abbas, Ghulam Mustafa Shah, Faiz Rabbani, Shah Fahad, Gabrijel Ondrasek and Muhammad Imtiaz Rashid
Additional contact information
Hafiz Faiq Bakhat: Department of Environmental Sciences, Comsats University Islamabad Vehari-Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan
Kunwar Rasul: Department of Environmental Sciences, Comsats University Islamabad Vehari-Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan
Abu Bakr Umer Farooq: Department of Biotechnology, Comsats University Islamabad Vehari-Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan
Hafiz Mohkum Hammad: Department of Agronomy, MNS University of Agriculture, Multan, Pakistan
Saira Afzal: Department of Environmental Sciences, Comsats University Islamabad Vehari-Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan
Sunaina Abbas: Department of Environmental Sciences, Comsats University Islamabad Vehari-Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan
Ghulam Mustafa Shah: Department of Environmental Sciences, Comsats University Islamabad Vehari-Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan
Faiz Rabbani: Department of Environmental Sciences, Comsats University Islamabad Vehari-Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan
Shah Fahad: Department of Agronomy, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Gabrijel Ondrasek: Department of Soil Amelioration, Faculty of Agriculture University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Muhammad Imtiaz Rashid: Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Plant, Soil and Environment, 2025, vol. 71, issue 4, 259-268

Abstract: Lithium (Li) plays a significant role in human physiology and psychology; however, it is non-essential for plants. The extensive use of Li in industrial processes and battery-powered devices poses a potential global threat to living organisms. This study assessed the impact of varying soil Li concentrations (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 mg/kg) on carrot (Daucus carota L.) plants. Results revealed that Li concentrations exceeding 40 mg/kg soil had detrimental effects on carrot growth. Compared to 0 mg/kg soil, Li concentrations of 60 and 80 mg/kg reduced shoot fresh biomass by 51% and 82%, respectively, and root fresh biomass by 68% and 89%, respectively. Elevated Li levels in the soil also increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content in shoots and triggered enhanced activity of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Additionally, soil Li disrupted the uptake and translocation of essential nutrients such as potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) from roots to shoots. This study concludes that while low Li levels may elicit a positive response in plants, higher concentrations significantly impair growth and could contribute to the accumulation of Li in the food chain.

Keywords: psychopharmacology; alkali metal toxicity; physiological response; cations accumulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/19/2025-PSE.html (text/html)
http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/19/2025-PSE.pdf (application/pdf)
free of charge

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:caa:jnlpse:v:71:y:2025:i:4:id:19-2025-pse

DOI: 10.17221/19/2025-PSE

Access Statistics for this article

Plant, Soil and Environment is currently edited by Kateřina Součková

More articles in Plant, Soil and Environment from Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Ivo Andrle ().