Growth and accumulation of lead in amaranthus [amaranthus tricolor L.] as influenced by various levels of lead in soil

ABSTRACT

A pot experiment with six levels of lead [0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mg Pb kg[-1] soil] was conducted to study the effects of lead on the growth of Amaranthus [Amaranthus tricolor L.] and Pb accumulation in it. Plants were harvested at 30 and 45 days after sowing [DAS]. Plant height at 45 DAS was significantly different among the treatments. Lead application at 40 mg kg[-1] of soil and above significantly decreased the shoot weight at 30 DAS and root weight at 45 DAS. There was no uptake of Pb by shoot and root of Amaranthus up to 30 and 20 mg kg[-1] of Pb application, respectively both at 30 and 45 DAS At both 30 and 45 DAS, Pb concentration in shoot and root increased gradually with increasing Pb application above 30 and 20 mg kg[-1] of soil, respectively. The concentration of Pb was higher in root than shoot of Amaranthus and the Pb partitioning [shoot root Pb concentration and amount] decreased with increasing contamination level [above 20 mg Pb kg[-1] soil]. Bioaccumulation coefficient of Pb was lower in shoot than root of Amaranthus indicating lower translocation of Pb from root to shoot