Heavy metal toxicity in rice and soybean plants cultivated in contaminated soil

Heavy metals can accumulate in soil and cause phytotoxicity in plants with some specific symptoms. The present study evaluated the specific symptoms on rice and soybeans plants caused by excess of heavy metals in soil. Rice and soybean were grown in pots containing soil with different levels of heav...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Maria Lígia de Souza Silva, Godofredo Cesar Vitti, Anderson Ricardo Trevizam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade Federal De Viçosa 2014-04-01
Series:Revista Ceres
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-737X2014000200013&lng=en&tlng=en
Description
Summary:Heavy metals can accumulate in soil and cause phytotoxicity in plants with some specific symptoms. The present study evaluated the specific symptoms on rice and soybeans plants caused by excess of heavy metals in soil. Rice and soybean were grown in pots containing soil with different levels of heavy metals. A completely randomized design was used, with four replications, using two crop species and seven sample soils with different contamination levels. Rice and soybean exhibited different responses to the high concentrations of heavy metals in the soil. Rice plants accumulated higher Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn concentrations and were more sensitive to high concentrations of these elements in the soil, absorbing them more easily compared to the soybean plants. However, high available Zn concentrations in the soil caused phytotoxicity symptoms in rice and soybean, mainly chlorosis and inhibited plant growth. Further, high Zn concentrations in the soil reduced the Fe concentration in the shoots of soybean and rice plants to levels considered deficient.
ISSN:2177-3491