Arsenic uptake and distribution in Cucumis melo and Citrullus lanatus plants

The use of groundwater with high arsenic (As) content in agricultural irrigation is a regular practice in many regions of the world, which results in the accumulation of As in soils to levels that can alter their physicochemical properties, decrease fertility, and reduce crop yield. Plants absorb ma...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental progress 2016-05, Vol.35 (3), p.750-757
Main Authors: Pineda-Chacón, Gabriela, Alarcón-Herrera, María Teresa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arsenic
Bioaccumulation
Biotransformation
Citrullus lanatus
Crop yield
Cucumis melo
Fertility
Flowers & plants
Genotype & phenotype
Genotypes
Irrigation
Irrigation water
Physicochemical properties
Plant growth
Plant species
translocation
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The use of groundwater with high arsenic (As) content in agricultural irrigation is a regular practice in many regions of the world, which results in the accumulation of As in soils to levels that can alter their physicochemical properties, decrease fertility, and reduce crop yield. Plants absorb many elements from soil and irrigation water. Some of these elements have a biological function but others can be toxic to the plants such as As. The presence of As in plants pose a risk due to the possible bioaccumulation of this metalloid through the trophic chains. The uptake, biotransformation, and bioaccumulation mechanisms of As occurring in plants is substantially affected by plant species and genotypes. The effects and distribution of As in melon (Cucumis melo) and watermelon plants (Citrullus lanatus) irrigated with As in a soil mesocosm were evaluated. The accumulation of As for Cucumis melo and Citrullus lanatus is presented according to the following: root > leaf > stem. In a period of 35 weeks with 1.4 mg L−1 of As concentration in irrigation water, adverse effects on the development of both genotypes were observed. For these As concentrations, Citrullus lanatus showed a clear reduction of root growth. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 750–757, 2016
ISSN:1944-7442
1944-7450
DOI:10.1002/ep.12291