Abstract
Copper (Cu) is an essential heavy metal for plants, but high Cu concentration in the soil causes phytotoxicity. Some plants, however, possess a system that can overcome Cu toxicity, such as Cu localization, and an active antioxidant defence system to reduce oxidative damage induced by high Cu concentration. The present study was conducted to explore the phytoremediation potential, morpho-physiological traits, antioxidant capacity, and fibre quality of jute (Corchorus capsularis) grown in a mixture of Cu-contaminated soil and natural soil at ratios of 0:1 (control), 1:0, 1:1, 1:2 and 1:4. Our results showed that high Cu concentration in the soil decreased plant growth, plant biomass, chlorophyll content, gaseous exchange, and fibre yield while increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS), which indicated oxidative stress induced by high Cu concentration in the soil. Antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxidase dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) scavenge ROS in plant cells/tissues. Furthermore, high Cu concentration did not significantly worsen the fibre quality of C. capsularis, and this plant was able to accumulate a large amount of Cu, with higher Cu accumulation in its shoots than in its roots. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that Cu toxicity affected different organelles of C. capsularis, with the chloroplast as the most affected organelle. On the basis of these results, we concluded that high Cu concentration was toxic to C. capsularis, reducing crop yield and plant productivity, but showing little effect on plant fibre yield. Hence, C. capsularis, as a fibrous crop, can accumulate a high concentration of Cu when grown in Cu-contaminated sites.
Highlights
Heavy metal accumulation has become a severe problem in China and other countries owing to many documented cases of sewage sludge, industry, mining and uses of pesticides and herbicides [1,2,3,4,5].There are many toxic pollutants in the soil commonly, copper, arsenic, cadmium, zinc, and iron, are some toxic heavy metals, in the capacities with high pollution rate
The decline in plant growth and biomass was probably caused by inhibited cell elongation and division due to toxic contents of Cu in the soil [44,45]
Previously we reported that jute could tolerate the Cu level up to 300 mg kg−1 and Cu contents more than 300 mg kg−1 in the soil caused decreased in plant growth [46]
Summary
Heavy metal accumulation has become a severe problem in China and other countries owing to many documented cases of sewage sludge, industry, mining and uses of pesticides and herbicides [1,2,3,4,5].There are many toxic pollutants in the soil commonly, copper, arsenic, cadmium, zinc, and iron, are some toxic heavy metals, in the capacities with high pollution rate. Excess Cu concentration is toxic to plants. Excess Cu in the soil causes alterations in DNA and cell membrane integrity, reducing plant growth and biomass [9,10,11,12]. Normal concentration of Cu is nontoxic to plants, whereas Cu toxicity directly disturbs the structure of chloroplast, mitochondrial apparatus, nucleus, and other cellular organelles [6,7,13,14]. Excess Cu causes damage to the cellular membrane organelles by increasing ROS in plant cells and tissues, causing peroxidation of substances on the cell surface [11,15,16,17]. ROS, which are toxic and remove by the activities of antioxidant compounds [18,19,20,21,22,23]
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