RESPONSE OF LANTANA CAMARA PLANTS TO FOLIAR APPLIED CITRIC ACID FOR DECREASING THE HARMFUL EFFECT OF HEAVY METALS POLLUTION IN THE IRRIGATION WATER (C) EFFECT OF LEAD

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

1 Botanical Gardens Research Department, Horticultural Research Institute, ARC, Alexandria, Egypt

2 Faculty of Agriculture, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt

Abstract

The present study was carried-out at Antoniadis Research Branch, Horticultural Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Alexandria, Egypt during two successive seasons of 2018 and 2019. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of irrigation water contaminated with lead on the growth of Lantana camara plants and the possibility of using citric acid spray treatments to overcome the effects of lead pollution. Seedlings of Lantana camara were planted individually in plastic pots (20 cm diameter) filled with 5 kg of sandy soil. The lead contaminated irrigation water treatments were 0,100, 200 and 300 mg/l. The plants were also monthly sprayed by citric acid at concentrations of 0, 250 and 500 mg/l. The results showed that for vegetative growth parameters there were no significant difference in the interaction between lead concentrations in water of irrigation and foliar spray by citric acid, while significant reductions were observed in all parameters after irrigation with lead contaminated water. However, significant increases in vegetative growth parameters were observed after 500 mg/l citric acid application. For chlorophyll and carbohydrate contents, the highest significant value was obtained in plants irrigated with tap water and sprayed with 250 mg/l citric acid while the highest significant level of lead content in leaves, stem and roots was obtained due treatment by 300 mg/l lead without application of citric acid.

Keywords

Main Subjects