Relief Role of Lysine Chelated Zinc (Zn) on 6-Week-Old Maize Plants under Tannery Wastewater Irrigation Stress

Rehan Ahmad, Wajid Ishaque, Mumtaz Khan, Umair Ashraf, Muhammad Atif Riaz, Said Ghulam, Awais Ahmad, Muhammad Rizwan, Shafaqat Ali, Saad Alkahtani and Mohamed M. Abdel-Daim
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Rehan Ahmad: Department of Environmental Sciences, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan 29050, Pakistan
Wajid Ishaque: Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Mumtaz Khan: Department of Environmental Sciences, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan 29050, Pakistan
Umair Ashraf: Department of Botany, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education, Lahore 54770, Pakistan
Muhammad Atif Riaz: Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Said Ghulam: Department of Soil Science, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan 29050, Pakistan
Awais Ahmad: Department of Applied Chemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Muhammad Rizwan: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Government College University Allama Iqbal Road, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Shafaqat Ali: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Government College University Allama Iqbal Road, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Saad Alkahtani: Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed M. Abdel-Daim: Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-18

Abstract: Tannery wastewater mainly comes from leather industries. It has high organic load, high salinity, and many other pollutants, including chromium (Cr). Tannery wastewater is generally used for crop irrigation in some areas of Pakistan and worldwide, due to the low availability of good quality of irrigation water. As tannery wastewater has many nutrients in it, its lower concentration benefits the plant growth, but at a higher concentration, it damages the plants. Chromium in tannery wastewater accumulates in plants, and causes stress at physiological and biochemical levels. In recent times, the role of micronutrient-amino acid chelated compounds has been found to be helpful in reducing abiotic stress in plants. In our present study, we used lysine chelated zinc (Zn-lys) as foliar application on maize ( Zea mays L.), growing in different concentrations of tannery wastewater. Zinc (Zn) is required by plants for growth, and lysine is an essential amino acid. Maize plants were grown in tannery wastewater in four concentrations (0, 25%, 50%, and 100%) and Zn-lys was applied as a foliar spray in three concentrations (0 mM, 12.5 mM, and 25 mM) during plant growth. Plants were cautiously harvested right after 6 weeks of treatment. Foliar spray of Zn-lys on maize increased the biomass and improved the plant growth. Photosynthetic pigments such as total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and contents of carotenoids also increased with Zn-lys application. In contrast to control plants, the hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) contents were increased up to 12%, 50%, and 68% in leaves, as well as 16%, 51% and 89% in roots at 25%, 50%, and 100% tannery water application, respectively, without Zn-lys treatments. Zn-lys significantly reduced the damages caused by oxidative stress in maize plant by decreasing the overproduction of H 2 O 2 and malondialdehyde (MDA) in maize that were produced, due to the application of high amount of tannery wastewater alone. The total free amino acids and soluble protein decreased by 10%, 31% and 64% and 18%, 61% and 122% at 25%, 50% and 100% tannery water treatment. Zn-lys application increased the amino acids production and antioxidant activities in maize plants. Zn contents increased, and Cr contents decreased, in different parts of plants with Zn-lys application. Overall, a high concentration of tannery wastewater adversely affected the plant growth, but the supplementation of Zn-lys assertively affected the plant growth and enhanced the nutritional quality, by enhancing Zn and decreasing Cr levels in plants simultaneously irrigated with tannery wastewater.

Keywords: biofortification; maize; zinc; chromium; zinc-lysine; oxidative stress; tannery wastewater (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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