The alleviation activity of selenium against cadmium phytotoxicity in date palm Phoenix dactylifera L
Karima F. Abbas
Environmental Health Dept., Applied Medical Sciences College
Kerbala University, Kerbala-Iraq
Abstract
A laboratory experiment has been performed to investigate possible beneficial role of selenium (Se) in alleviation of cadmium (Cd) toxicity. Date palm Phoenix dactylifera L. offshoots at three years old were subjected to individually Cd at two concentrations (3 and 9 mg.kg-1) or simultaneously with Se at 1 and 15 mg.kg-1. Results show that, Cd treatments alone led to increased accumulation of malondiladehyde (MDA), H2O2, proline and peroxidase (POD) activity, per contra, reduction chlorophyll content, chlorophyll stability index (CSI) and membrane stability index (MSI), particularly at high concentration. Cd phytotocixity was alleviated when added at same time with Se at 15 mg.kg-1, no significant effect was recorded of Se at 1 mg.kg1 to negative effects of Cd even at low concentration. MDA increased 62.72 and 53.05%, H2O2, 56.99 and 43.57%, proline 71.35 and 57.16%, POD activity 45.59 and 36.93% while the reduction of chlorophyll a was 31.66 and 11.90%, chlorophyll b 12.78 and 7.76%, total chlorophyll 23.32 and 10.66%, CSI 23.42 and 10.93% and MSI 31.87 and 25.79% for alone Cd at 9 mg.kg-1 or with Se at 15 mg.kg-1 treatments respectively, compared to control plants.
The results of this study reported the addition of Se at 15 mg.kg-1 led to alleviated Cd toxicity in date palm plants.
Keywords: Date palm, Heavy metal, mitigation, phytotoxicity, Selenium
