Journal of Nuclear Science, Engineering and Technology (JONSAT)
In cooperation with the Iranian Nuclear Society

The Effect of Different Uranium Concentrations on Physiological Characteristics and Chlorophyll Contents in Sunflower and Soy Bean

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

S Bagherifam
A Lakzian
S.J Ahmadi
A Fotovat
M.F Rahimi
Abstract
Uranium as a natural radioactive heavy metal, widely disperses throughout the earth's crust. In many cases, the natural abundance has been re-distributed due to anthropogenic activities, resulting in radionuclide contamination in groundwater and surface soil. A pot experiment had been conducted in the Agricultural College Research Greenhouse, at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad under the controlled condition. The effect of six levels of uranium (0, 50, 100, 250, 500 and 1000 mg U kg-1) on physiological characteristics and chlorophyll contents in sunflower and soy bean were studied in a completely randomized design as a factorial experiment with three replications. Plants were harvested after 40 days and before the reproductive stages. Root and stem length, root dry weight, stem dry weight, biomass and chlorophyll contents were determined. The shoot and root length, fresh and dry mass as well as leaf area and chlorophyll contents showed a significant negative correlation with the applied uranium concentrations. The influence on plant growth was also measured in terms of tolerance index TI and grade of growth inhibition GGI. The results showed that TI increased and GGI decreased with the applied uranium concentration. Biomass and tolerance of sunflower during the experiment on higher uranium concentrations showed that sun flower is more resistant against uranium toxicity.

Highlights

  1. 1.    D. Ostele, R.F. Coleman, T.K. Ball, “Uranium prospecting handbook,” Institution of mining and metallurgy, London, 95-81 (1972).

 

  1. 2.    C.M.D. Lamas, “Factors affecting the uranium availability in soils,” fall agricultural research. (2005).

 

  1. 3.    B. Jagetia, P. Purhit, “Effect of various concentration of uranium tailings on certain growth and biochemical parameters in sunflower,” Biologica Bratislava 61(1): 103-107 (2006).

 

  1. 4.    S.A. Murthy, P. Weinberger, M.P. Measures, “Uranium effects on growth of soy bean (clycine max (i) marr),” Bulletine of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 32: 580-586 (1984).

 

  1. 5.    S.C. Sheppared, M.I. Sheppared, M. Gellerad, B. Sanipelli, “Derivation of ecotoxicity thresholds for uranium,” Jurnal of environmental radioactivity. 79: 55-83 (2005).

 

  1. 6.    R.R. Laksmanan, J. Mizera, Z. Venkateswarlu, “Uptake of uranium by vegetable and rice,” Water, Air and Soil pollution 36: 151-155 (1998).

 

  1. 7.    M.C. Gulati, M.C. Omswal, K.K. Nagpaul, “Assimilation of uranium by tomato and wheat plants,” plant and soil 55: 55-59 (1980).

 

  1. 8.    H. Vandenhove, M. Van Hees, “Phtyoextraction for clean-up of low-level uranium contaminated soil evaluated,” Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 72: 41-45 (2004).

 

  1. 9.    M.I. Sheppared, D.H. Thibault, S.C. Sheppared, “Concentration and concentaration ratios of U, As, and Co in Scots pine grown in a waste-site soil and an experimentally contaminated soil,” Water, Air, and Soil pollution. 26: 85-94 (1984).
  2. 10.              D.G. Arnon, “Copper enzyme in isolated chloroplast, polyphenol oxidase in beta vulgaris,” Plant Physiol. 24: 1-15 (1949).

 

  1. 11.              A.J.M. Baker, S.P. Mcgrath, C.M.D. Sidholi, R.D. Reeves, “The possibility of in situ heavy metal decontamination of polluted soils using crops and metal-accumulating plants,” Resource. Conserve. Recycl. 11: 41-49 (1994).

 

  1. 12.              L. Leita, M.D.E. Nobili, C. Mondini, M.T. Garcia, “Response of leguminosae to cadmium exposure.jurnal of plant nutriation,” 16: 2001-2012 (1993).

 

  1. 13.              Julius, B. Cohen, “Practical Organic Chemistry,” Kjeldal method to measure nitrogen (1910).

 

  1. 14.              L. Metzger, “The effect of sewage sludge on soil structure,” Soil Science Society of Americe Jurnal, 51: 346-351 (1987).

 

  1. 15.              A. Klute, “Method of soil analysis part 1: Physical and Mineralogical methods,” ASA. Soil Science Society of America Madison. Wisconsin. USA (1986).

 

  1. 16.              A. Walkli, I.A. Black, “An examination of the degtareff method for determinating soil organic matter, and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method,” Soil Science, 37: 29-38 (1934).

 

  1. 17.              A.J.M. Baker, P.L. Walter, “Ecophsiology of metal uptake by tolerant plants in:Heavy metal tolerance in plants: Evolutionary Aspects,” 155-177 (1990).

 

  1. 18.              J.W. Huang, M.J. Blaylock, B.D. Ensly, B.D. Ensley, Y.K. kapulink, “Phytoremediation of uranium contaminated soils,” Agronomy abstracts ASM meeting Anaheim. ca. oct. 26-31 (1997).

 

  1. 19.              I. Raskin, B.D. Ensley, “Phytoremediation of toxic metals: using plants to clean up the environment,” Chapter 14: 247-269 (2002).

 

  1. 20.              S.A. Ibrahim, W. Mclendon, T. Price, “Comparative plant uptake and environmental behavior of U-series radionuclides at uranium mine-mill,” Jurnal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 156(2): 253-267 (1992).

 

  1. 21.              H. Shahandeh, L.R. Hossner, “Role of soil properties in phytoaccumulation of uranium,” Water, Air and Soil pollution. 141: 165-180 (2002).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. 22.              P. Chung, K.W. Kyoung, S. Yoshida, K. Soo-Young,” Uranium accumulation of crop plants enhanced by citric acid. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 27: 529-538 (2005).

 

  1. 23.              E. Ergun, B. Demirata, G. Gumus, “Stimultaneous determination of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b by derivative spectrophotometry,” Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 379: 803-811 (2004).

 

  1. 24.              N.C. Aery, G.S. Jain, “Effect of uranyl nitrate on seed germination and early seedling growth of triticum aestivum,” Biologia Bratislava. 52: 115-119 (1997).

Keywords

Uranium
Grade of Growth Inhibition
Tolerance Index
Sunflowers
Soybeans
  1. 1.    D. Ostele, R.F. Coleman, T.K. Ball, “Uranium prospecting handbook,” Institution of mining and metallurgy, London, 95-81 (1972).

 

  1. 2.    C.M.D. Lamas, “Factors affecting the uranium availability in soils,” fall agricultural research. (2005).

 

  1. 3.    B. Jagetia, P. Purhit, “Effect of various concentration of uranium tailings on certain growth and biochemical parameters in sunflower,” Biologica Bratislava 61(1): 103-107 (2006).

 

  1. 4.    S.A. Murthy, P. Weinberger, M.P. Measures, “Uranium effects on growth of soy bean (clycine max (i) marr),” Bulletine of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 32: 580-586 (1984).

 

  1. 5.    S.C. Sheppared, M.I. Sheppared, M. Gellerad, B. Sanipelli, “Derivation of ecotoxicity thresholds for uranium,” Jurnal of environmental radioactivity. 79: 55-83 (2005).

 

  1. 6.    R.R. Laksmanan, J. Mizera, Z. Venkateswarlu, “Uptake of uranium by vegetable and rice,” Water, Air and Soil pollution 36: 151-155 (1998).

 

  1. 7.    M.C. Gulati, M.C. Omswal, K.K. Nagpaul, “Assimilation of uranium by tomato and wheat plants,” plant and soil 55: 55-59 (1980).

 

  1. 8.    H. Vandenhove, M. Van Hees, “Phtyoextraction for clean-up of low-level uranium contaminated soil evaluated,” Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 72: 41-45 (2004).

 

  1. 9.    M.I. Sheppared, D.H. Thibault, S.C. Sheppared, “Concentration and concentaration ratios of U, As, and Co in Scots pine grown in a waste-site soil and an experimentally contaminated soil,” Water, Air, and Soil pollution. 26: 85-94 (1984).
  2. 10.              D.G. Arnon, “Copper enzyme in isolated chloroplast, polyphenol oxidase in beta vulgaris,” Plant Physiol. 24: 1-15 (1949).

 

  1. 11.              A.J.M. Baker, S.P. Mcgrath, C.M.D. Sidholi, R.D. Reeves, “The possibility of in situ heavy metal decontamination of polluted soils using crops and metal-accumulating plants,” Resource. Conserve. Recycl. 11: 41-49 (1994).

 

  1. 12.              L. Leita, M.D.E. Nobili, C. Mondini, M.T. Garcia, “Response of leguminosae to cadmium exposure.jurnal of plant nutriation,” 16: 2001-2012 (1993).

 

  1. 13.              Julius, B. Cohen, “Practical Organic Chemistry,” Kjeldal method to measure nitrogen (1910).

 

  1. 14.              L. Metzger, “The effect of sewage sludge on soil structure,” Soil Science Society of Americe Jurnal, 51: 346-351 (1987).

 

  1. 15.              A. Klute, “Method of soil analysis part 1: Physical and Mineralogical methods,” ASA. Soil Science Society of America Madison. Wisconsin. USA (1986).

 

  1. 16.              A. Walkli, I.A. Black, “An examination of the degtareff method for determinating soil organic matter, and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method,” Soil Science, 37: 29-38 (1934).

 

  1. 17.              A.J.M. Baker, P.L. Walter, “Ecophsiology of metal uptake by tolerant plants in:Heavy metal tolerance in plants: Evolutionary Aspects,” 155-177 (1990).

 

  1. 18.              J.W. Huang, M.J. Blaylock, B.D. Ensly, B.D. Ensley, Y.K. kapulink, “Phytoremediation of uranium contaminated soils,” Agronomy abstracts ASM meeting Anaheim. ca. oct. 26-31 (1997).

 

  1. 19.              I. Raskin, B.D. Ensley, “Phytoremediation of toxic metals: using plants to clean up the environment,” Chapter 14: 247-269 (2002).

 

  1. 20.              S.A. Ibrahim, W. Mclendon, T. Price, “Comparative plant uptake and environmental behavior of U-series radionuclides at uranium mine-mill,” Jurnal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 156(2): 253-267 (1992).

 

  1. 21.              H. Shahandeh, L.R. Hossner, “Role of soil properties in phytoaccumulation of uranium,” Water, Air and Soil pollution. 141: 165-180 (2002).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. 22.              P. Chung, K.W. Kyoung, S. Yoshida, K. Soo-Young,” Uranium accumulation of crop plants enhanced by citric acid. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 27: 529-538 (2005).

 

  1. 23.              E. Ergun, B. Demirata, G. Gumus, “Stimultaneous determination of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b by derivative spectrophotometry,” Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 379: 803-811 (2004).

 

  1. 24.              N.C. Aery, G.S. Jain, “Effect of uranyl nitrate on seed germination and early seedling growth of triticum aestivum,” Biologia Bratislava. 52: 115-119 (1997).

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