Differential Response of Brassica Cultivars to Potentially Toxic Elements and Their Distribution in Different Plant Parts Irrigated with Metal-Contaminated Water

Saad Dahlawi, Muhammad Sadiq, Muhammad Sabir (), Zia Ur Rahman Farooqi, Saifullah, Ayesha Abdul Qadir and Turki Kh Faraj
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Saad Dahlawi: Department of Environmental Health, College of Public Health, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Sadiq: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Muhammad Sabir: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Zia Ur Rahman Farooqi: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Saifullah: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Ayesha Abdul Qadir: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Turki Kh Faraj: Department of Soil Science, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 145111, Riyadh 11362, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: The increasing concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in agricultural soils has greatly disturbed the quality and productivity of soils. In this study, we investigated the uptake and distribution of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni) by two Brassica cultivars (Khanpur raya and Sandal canola) grown on soil irrigated with metal-contaminated water. Distilled water was spiked with salts to prepare irrigation water with various levels of metals (Ni application at 90, Cd at 20, Pb at 500, Ni + Pb at 20 + 500, Ni + Cd at 90 + 20, Cd + Pb at 20 + 500, and Ni + Cd + Pb at 90 + 20 + 500 mg L −1 ). These treatments were compared with water without the addition of any salt. The results indicated that compared to the control treatment, increasing metal concentrations decreased the shoot weight (44.25%, 29.03%), root length (33.33%, 12.74%), and shoot length (19.73%, 11.06%) in Khanpur raya and Sandal canola, respectively. Compared to the control treatment, irrigation with contaminated water decreased the photosynthesis rate (98.42%, 99.34%), chlorophyll content (18.27%, 13.73%), respiration rate (7.97%, 6.47%), and transpiration rate (9.90%, 33.33%) in both varieties, respectively. Notably, the concentrations of Ni (0.01 and 0.003), Cd (0.01 and 0.012), and Pb (0.03 and 0.05%) in the seeds were increased, as well as in Khanpur raya and Sandal canola, respectively, compared to the controls. Furthermore, the PTE accumulation in different components was recorded, with the order of soil > root > shoot > seed. It was observed that brassica cultivars differed significantly in their response to the growth and accumulation of PTEs in edible parts. It was concluded that Khanpur raya did not exhibit a decline in growth due to PTEs in irrigation water and prevented the translocation of PTEs towards edible parts compared to Sandal canola and thus can be safely grown in soils receiving PTE-contaminated water.

Keywords: heavy metals; bioaccumulation; plant physiology; soil contamination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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