Evaluation of the tolerance of three cultivars of barley to Zn, Cd or Cr in a growth chamber experiment

Abstract

To evaluate the tolerance of three cultivars of barley for the phytoremediation of soils contaminated by metals, a growth chamber experiment with plants exposed to increasing concentrations of Zn, Cd and Cr was conducted. Growth parameters, chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence were measured at 15 and 29 days after treatment application. Metal concentration in the plant was also measured. In all cases, the amount of metal accumulated in the plant increased by increasing the concentration of the applied metal. Chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence were higher in the first sampling indicating the negative effect on these parameters of the highest metal concentrations. Cr treatments affected significantly plant growth. Height and dry weights plants were significantly lower (p <0.05) than those treated with Zn and Cd. Physiological parameters measured and water content were also lower in plants treated with Cr. Plaisant and Pedrezuela varieties accumulated more Zn and Cd than Reinette, which accumulated greater amount of Cr than the other two cultivars. This fact shows the interest in selecting the most tolerant varieties when using a crop for phytoremediation of contaminated soils.