European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

EFFECT OF MANGANESE AND COPPER STRESS ON A LEAF BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETER OF A MANGROVE AVICENNIA MARINA (FORSK.) VIERH

Aruna Chawla* and Kailash P. Patel

ABSTRACT

Increasing industrialization and release of industrial effluent including heavy metals is a major environmental problem worldwide. The effluent includes numerous heavy metals, of which manganese and copper, has been selected for experiments. Changes in chlorophyll contents (Total chlorophyll and ratio chl a/b were examined by the application of different concentrations of copper and manganese in seedlings of a mangrove, Avicennia marina(Forsk.)Vierh. The seedlings were grown in pots in green house conditions in the soil amended with various levels of manganese and copper (100,200,300 and 400, 500 ppm). The estimation of chlorophyll was done on 10th, 20th and 30th day after the metals were spiked in the soil. The results indicated that the content of total chlorophyll increased at low levels of copper and manganese but started declining at higher concentrations while ratio of chl a/b keeps on increasing throughout the experimental period. The increase in total chlorophyll at lower concentrations indicate that these metals, being vital micronutrient for the growth of plants, helped in increasing chlorophyll content but decline at high concentrations indicates the adverse effect of their toxicity.

Keywords: Pigment, Chlorophyll, Avicennia Marina, Industrialization, Effluent, Toxicity.