EFFECTS OF COPPER-INDUCED STRESS ON SEED GERMINATION OF MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.)

Abstract

The existence of heavy metals in polluted soils requires remediation technologies that can solve the problem of contamination in an environmentally friendly way. Plants used in phytoremediation projects can clean the contaminated areas and can become a solution for green approaches to this issue. One of the plants with great potential in phytoremediation is Zea mays, a very common crop plant. This experiment aimed to determine the effect of the variation in concentration of copper sulphate on the germination and growth of seeds of Zea mays. We wanted to establish which is the highest concentration of copper that seeds of Zea mays can tolerate. Seedlings growth investigation and measurements were made after 7 days. The seed germination rate was high for the low concentration and control and decreased dramatically with the increase in concentration. At high concentration the abnormal development of seeds was visible, shoots and roots growing much shorter.