Differential effects of cadmium and chromium on growth, photosynthetic activity, and metal uptake of Linum usitatissimum in association with Glomus intraradices

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 187; no. 6; pp. 311 - 11
• Main Authors: Amna, Ali, Naeem, Masood, Sajid, Mukhtar, Tehmeena, Kamran, Muhammad Aqeel, Rafique, Mazhar, Munis, M. Farooq Hussain, Chaudhary, Hassan Javed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-06-2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Accumulation; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bioaccumulation; Biomass; Cadmium; Cadmium - toxicity; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll - metabolism; Chromium; Chromium - toxicity; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental Monitoring; Experiments; Flax - drug effects; Flax - physiology; Fungi; Fungi - physiology; Glomus intraradices; Heavy metals; Inoculation; Linens; Linum usitatissimum; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Mycorrhizae - drug effects; Nutrients; Photosynthesis; Photosynthesis - drug effects; Physiology; Plant biomass; Plant growth; Plant Roots - drug effects; Soil contamination; Studies; Toxicity; Chromium; Cadmium; Physiological effects; Phytoremediation
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-015-4557-8

The current study was aimed at analyzing the differential effects of heavy metals (cadmium and chromium) and mycorrhizal fungus;
Glomus intraradices
on growth, chlorophyll content, proline production, and metal accumulation in flax plant (
Linum usitatissimum
L.). Heavy metal accumulation rate in flax varied from 90 to 95 % for Cd and 61–84 % for Cr at a concentration range of 250 to 500 ppm for both metals in 24 days of experiment. Growth and photosynthetic activity of flax reduced to an average of 21 and 45 %, respectively. However, inoculation of
G. intraradices
significantly increased the plant biomass even under metal stressed conditions. Additionally, mycorrhizal association also assists the Cd and Cr increased uptake by 23 and 33 %, respectively. Due to metal stress, chlorophyll contents were decreased by 27 and 45 %, while 84 and 71 % increased proline content was observed under Cd and Cr stress, respectively. The present results clearly signify the differential response and potential of flax plant towards heavy metal tolerance and accumulation that can further increase with mycorrhizal fungus.