Morphological and Structural Responses of Albizia lebbeck to Different Lead and Nickel Stress Levels

Mahak Naveed, Maria Ghaffar, Zafran Khan, Nimra Gul, Iram Ijaz, Amir Bibi, Soha Pervaiz, Hesham F. Alharby, Muhammad Sayyam Tariq, Syed Riaz Ahmed, Khalid Rehman Hakeem () and Daniel K. Y. Tan ()
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Mahak Naveed: Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Maria Ghaffar: Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad 38850, Pakistan
Zafran Khan: Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Nimra Gul: Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Iram Ijaz: Laboratory of Molecular Systematics and Evolution Genetics, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Amir Bibi: Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Soha Pervaiz: Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad 45650, Pakistan
Hesham F. Alharby: Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Sayyam Tariq: Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad 45650, Pakistan
Syed Riaz Ahmed: Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Khalid Rehman Hakeem: Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Daniel K. Y. Tan: Faculty of Science, Plant Breeding Institute, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-25

Abstract: Lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni) are serious soil pollutants that adversely affect plant growth and development and need to be removed through phytoremediation. The present study aimed to assess the morphological indices of Albizia lebbeck (L.) (Benth.) in relation to anatomical modifications for survival under both Pb and Ni stress. The seedlings of A. lebbeck were established and then subjected to four different concentrations, viz. 0 mM, 25 mM, 50 mM and 75 mM, of Pb and Ni for 14 days in two phases. Morphological traits such as shoot length (70.93%), fresh weight (79.27%), dry weight (83.9%), number of root hairs (65.7%), number of leaves per plant (67.4%) and number of leaflets per plant greatly reduced under Pb or Ni stress. Surprisingly, root length increased rather than decreased with the increase in Pb or Ni concentrations, along with an increase in leaflet width, leaflet length and leaflet area. Moreover, root cortical cell area, metaxylem area and phloem area decreased at 75 mM of Pb and Ni while epidermal thickness and cell area increased. Stem epidermal thickness, cell area and phloem area significantly decreased with the consistent increase in metaxylem area and cortical region thickness under both Pb and Ni stress. Leaf anatomical traits such as midrib thickness, abaxial epidermal thickness and stomatal density and adaxial epidermal thickness and stomatal area significantly increased with increasing Pb or Ni stress. Correlation analysis revealed close relations among morphological and anatomical traits (such as root length with cortical region thickness) for better plant survival under Pb or Ni stress, and a PCA-biplot further verified these correlation analyses. Cluster analyses demonstrated the associations among the morphological and anatomical traits based on different stress levels. Furthermore, we found that the longer exposure (from phase 1 to phase 2) of heavy metals stress is more dangerous for plant survival and can ultimately lead to plant death. Moreover, our results also confirmed that Ni is more harmful or dangerous to plants than Pb at high and moderate concentrations. The anatomical modifications ensured the survival of A. lebbeck in extreme heavy metals stress and therefore unlocked its potential to be used as a natural source of phytoremediation. We also recommend that the genetic potential of A. lebbeck associated with its survival under heavy metal stress be investigated.

Keywords: Albizia lebbeck; lead nitrate; nickel nitrate; structural modifications; phytoremediation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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