Variations of Plant Macronutrients and Secondary Metabolites Content in Response to Radionuclides Accumulation

Abstract

Current knowledge on the basic radionuclide tolerance indicates that plants may develop mechanisms preventing the damaging effects of radionuclide stress. The radionuclides content was determined in the Mediterranean coastal black sand soil and in the edible portions of the four food crop plant species, viz., Eruca sativa, Lycopersicon esculentum, Pasidium guajava and Mangifera indica. Biochemical and nutritional constituents were assessed to elucidate the possible effect of radionuclides on the edible portions of the plants. The ability of the four study plant species to accumulate Uranium and Thorium in their edible portions from the coastal black sand soil is higher than that absorbed from the inland agricultural soils. The nutritional constituents were affected by the high concentrations of Uranium and Thorium in the plant tissues.