Effect of Titanium Dioxide on Lettuce Plants Grown on Sandy Soil

Abstract

The titanium role in plants nutrition is not so far fully clear. Many positive beneficial influences and a few adverse influences of titanium addition are described in literature. The purpose of this investigation is to study the effect of different rates of Ti soil application on the plant growth parameters, chemical constituents, quality parameters and elements concentration in the soil after harvesting of lettuce plants grown on sandy soil with irrigation by H. Cooper’s nutrient solution during the winter season of 2017/2018. The experimental design was randomize complete block with four replicates for each treatment. The titanium application rates were: (T1) 0 ppm, (T2) 25ppm, (T3) 50 ppm and (T4) 75ppm, added as Titanium dioxide (TiO2). The results showed that, the values of all studied growth parameters of lettuce plant significantly increased with raising of titanium addition from 0.0 to 25 ppm and then significantly decreased with any increase in titanium dioxide. The same trend was found for N, P, K, Fe, carotein, vitamin C, chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll. On the contrary, of above trend; sharply and significantly decreases were happened in the mean values of nitrate (NO3-N) and nitrite (NO2-N) in lettuce leaves. For Ti concentration, the values significantly increased with increasing Ti application rates.