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Toxic effects of Pb2+ on growth of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)

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Kopittke, P.M., Asher, C.J., Kopittke, R.A. and Menzies, N.W. (2007) Toxic effects of Pb2+ on growth of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). Environmental Pollution, 150 (2). pp. 280-287.

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Article Link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2007.01.011

Publisher URL: http://www.elsevier.com

Abstract

A concentration as low as 1 μM lead (Pb) is highly toxic to plants, but previous studies have typically related plant growth to the total amount of Pb added to a solution. In the present experiment, the relative fresh mass of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) was reduced by 10% at a Pb2+ activity of 0.2 μM for the shoots and at a Pb2+ activity of 0.06 μM for the roots. The primary site of Pb2+ toxicity was the root, causing severe reductions in root growth, loss of apical dominance (shown by an increase in branching per unit root length), the formation of localized swellings behind the root tips (due to the initiation of lateral roots), and the bending of some root tips. In the root, Pb was found to accumulate primarily within the cell walls and intercellular spaces.

Item Type:Article
Corporate Creators:Horticulture & Forestry Science
Additional Information:© Elsevier Ltd.
Keywords:Activity; distribution; Pb; root growth; symptoms.
Subjects:Science > Botany > Spermatophyte. Phanerogams > Angiosperms
Agriculture > Agriculture (General) > Soils. Soil science
Live Archive:03 Feb 2009 06:27
Last Modified:03 Sep 2021 16:47

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