A pot experiment was carried out in order to investigate the effect of deleterious concentration of copper and cadmium either individual or in combination on three cereal crops i.e. wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), maize (Zea mays L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) after 2 and 4 weeks. The results showed that cadmium applied alone caused significant reduction in growth traits and photosynthesis ...

Due to unique physico-chemical properties of –SH moiety thiols comprise wide group of biologically important compounds. A review devoted to biological functions of glutathione and phytochelatins with literature survey of methods used to analysis of these compounds and their interactions with cadmium(II) ions and Murashige-Skoog medium is presented. For these purposes electrochemical techniques ...

In order to select appropriate amendments for cropping hyperaccumulator or normal plants on contaminated soils and establish the relationship between Cd sorption characteristics of soil amendments and their capacity to reduce Cd uptake by plants, batch sorption experiments with 11 different clay minerals and organic materials and a pot experiment with the same amendments were carried out. The p...

The aim of this work was to study the effect of copper (Cu) and/or cadmium (Cd) on grain germination and anatomical structure of Maize (Zea mays cv. Giza 2) seedling. The results indicated that Cu and/or Cd caused reduced the grain germination indices (FGP final germination percentage, MDG mean daily germination, GI germination index and CVG coefficient of velocity of germination), root anatomi...

There is a worldwide increase of heavy metal or potentially toxic element (PTE), contamination in agricultural soils caused mainly by human and industrial action, which leads to food contamination in crops such as in maize. Cadmium (Cd) is a PTE often found in soils and it is ingested through food. It is necessary to determine the bioabsorption, distribution, and accumulation levels in maize to...

A growing body of evidence suggests that plant root-associated fungi such as dark septate endophytes (DSE) can help plants overcome many biotic and abiotic stresses, of great interest is DSE-plant metal tolerance and alleviation capabilities on contaminated soils. However, the tolerance and alleviation mechanisms involved have not yet been elucidated. In the current study, the regulation and ph...

Based on the ability of phytosiderophores to chelate other heavy metals besides iron (Fe), phytosiderophores were suggested to prevent graminaceous plants from cadmium (Cd) toxicity. To assess interactions between Cd and phytosiderophore-mediated Fe acquisition, maize (Zea mays) plants were grown hydroponically under limiting Fe supply. Exposure to Cd decreased uptake rates of 59Fe(III)-phytosi...

During the years 2006 and 2007 the phytoextraction ability of maize (Zea mays), willow-tree (Salix smithiana) and poplar (Populus nigra × P. maximowiczii) to accumulate cadmium, copper, mercury and zinc was investigated. Small scale field experiment was carried out on soil contaminated with chemicals from the waste incineration plant in Hradec Kralové (Czech republic). Screening of this allotme...

Agricultural intensification is associated with the use of great amounts of agrochemicals that may result in the accumulation of metals in soils, and –subsequently—agricultural products and food chain. Nowadays, this is a major concern for many Iranian agricultural products, necessitating scientific researches on the issue. Therefore, the present study has been conducted to evaluate the level o...