Effect of Heavy Metals on the Growth of Spinach

Abstract

With the rapid development of industry and agriculture, copper mining, combined with the use of copper-bearing fertilizers and wastewater discharge, has led to a doubling of copper concentrations in farmland soils. When the heavy metal content in soil is too high, the growth and development of plants will be hindered. Heavy metal stress can disturb the physiological function of plants and even lead to plant poisoning. Spinach is a vegetable widely grown all over the world. Spinach is rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals and has high nutritional value. It is of great theoretical significance and guiding value to explore the effects of heavy metals on the growth of spinach. Certain concentrations of mineral solutions may stimulate spinach growth slightly, but growth slows as concentrations increase. With the increase of mineral concentration, fresh weight and dry weight of spinach decreased, and chlorophyll content increased. Heavy metal detoxification is a necessary step in the phytoremediation process. Plants often employ one of two defense methods to deal with heavy metal toxicity: avoidance or tolerance. Plants use these two methods to keep heavy metal concentrations in their cells below toxicity threshold levels.