Dietary Toxicity of Lead and Hyper-Accumulation in Petroselinum crispum

Abstract

The current study investigated the bioaccumulation potential of Petroselinum crispum (Parsley) for lead (Pb) contaminated soils. Different concentrations of lead nitrate (0, 200, 600, 1,000 and 1,200 mg kg−1 soil) were applied to the soil, and Parsley plants were grown in contaminated soil for a period of 3 months. One set of treatments was supplemented with EDTA as chelating agent to enhance the Pb uptake. The growth parameters, phytotoxic effects and Pb accumulation in different parts of experimental plants were recorded. Increasing Pb concentrations in soil caused delay in germination rate, decrease in plant height, root length and fresh and dry weight. The Pb accumulation in roots, shoots and seeds of treated plants linearly increased with Pb concentration in soil. For the highest treatment, Pb accumulation in roots and leaves was recorded to be 641 and 439.5 mg kg−1 dry weight (DW) over 20.5 and 17.25 mg kg−1 DW of control plants, respectively. At higher Pb treatment, the addition of 10 mmol EDTA had a significant effect on Pb accumulation in plants. Although Parsley seems to be a promising candidate to reclaim Pb-contaminated sites, being edible plant dietary toxicity of the plant needs to be seriously considered.