Physiological responses of flax (Linum usitatissimum) and canola (Brassica napus) to cadmium and lead stresses

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of science-Al-Azhar University- Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of cadmium and lead on some metabolic products of flax (Linum usitatissimum Giza 5) and canola (Brassica napus Serw 4) at two growth stages; vegetative and flowering stages. The soil enriched with different levels of Cd as Cd (NO3)2 (25, 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg soil) and Pb as Pb (NO3)2 (250, 500, 1000 and 1500 mg/kg soil) in addition to control. The results showed that a significant reduction in pigment fractions while proline, total soluble sugars, thiols, lipid peroxidation, ascorbic acid and activity of catalase as well as peroxidase increased significantly in both plants with increasing concentration of Cd and Pb. The results also showed that there was an increase in pigment fractions, proline, ascorbic acid and total soluble sugar while lipid peroxidation, thiols and enzymatic activity were decreased as plants proceeded from vegetative to flowering stages.

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