Ravi Sharma
Posters-Accepted Abstracts: Biol Syst Open Access
Heavy metal toxicity, such as due to mercury in our environment, is seriously dangerous because these metals persist in the environment for years together. Though, Lead is a ubiquitous poison known to man from biblical times Mercury became notorious in the recent past as a result of Minamata disease in Japan and has been found guilty as a harmful environmental pollutant. What worries us now and causes considerable concern is that this and other toxic metals are being found in an increasing amount in the human environment, in the air we breathe, in the water we drink and in the food we consume. The present investigation contains the results of the comparative studies made on seed germination, seedling growth fresh and dry weights and seedling metabolism showing physiological and biochemical parameters (chlorophyll a and b, carbohydrate and protein contents and anti-oxidative enzymes peroxidase superoxide dismutase and catalase) in four major crops (Legumes â?? Vicia and Mustard; Cereals â?? Barley and Wheat) under heavy metal (Hg) stress conditions. Their relative heavy metal tolerance was found to be Mustard > Vicia > Wheat > Barley. Thus, mercury treatment at early seedling stage caused more inhibition in wheat and barley as compared to mustard and vicia. These observations clearly show that the crops mustard and vicia suffered lesser than the crops wheat and barley, i.e., the former two crops are more tolerant than the later crops. This basic finding into the growth and physiological parameters associated with heavy metal-tolerance can in turn be expected to advance the applied work which may lead to the finding of structural and/or physiological and biochemical features associated with the development of heavy metal-tolerance. On reviewing the overall results and considering the performance of the crops it seems that tolerance is due to the total plant response.
