Growth and physiological responses in chicory towards mercury induced in vitro oxidative stress

• Published in: Indian journal of plant physiology 2019-06, Vol.24 (2), p.236-248
• Main Authors: Malik, Bisma, Pirzadah, Tanveer Bilal, Tahir, Inayatullah, Ul Rehman, Reiaz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accumulation; Accumulators; Ascorbic acid; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Catalase; Cell Biology; Chicory; Cichorium; Contaminants; Damage accumulation; Detoxification; Glutathione; Glutathione reductase; Glutathione transferase; Guaiacol; Heavy metals; Homeostasis; Hydrogen peroxide; L-Ascorbate peroxidase; Life Sciences; Mercury; Mercury (metal); Metal ions; Original Article; Oxidation; Oxidative stress; Peroxidase; Photosynthesis; Physiological responses; Phytoremediation; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Ecology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Reductases; Shoots; Soil contamination; Soil pollution; Soil remediation; Superoxide dismutase; Thiobarbituric acid; Translocation
• ISSN: 2662-253X; 0019-5502; 2662-2548; 0974-0252
• DOI: 10.1007/s40502-019-00442-2

Plants experience oxidative stress upon exposure to heavy metals that leads to cellular damage. Plants accumulate metal ions that disturb cellular ionic homeostasis. Currently the main interest in metal accumulators lies in the field of phytoremediation when plants are used to “clean up” metal contaminants from the soil. The present study was conducted to evaluate the oxidative stress in chicory plants when subjected to different concentrations of Hg (0, 25, 50 and 75 µM). In order to study oxidative stress and Hg accumulation in chicory various morphological, biochemical and enzymatic parameters at two different stages (23 and 46 days old) were studied. The root and shoot growth, biomass accumulation declined significantly at highest Hg concentration (75 µM) and Hg accumulation was higher in roots than in shoots as indicated by translocation factor