Germination and shoot development of Pisum sativum L. under exposure to arsenic, lead, and copper in laboratory conditions

Abstract

Metal contamination and pollution are of human and environmental concern Phytoremediation is one of the suitable high-efficiency means to treat metal pollution. This study aims to observe the responses of Pisum sativum L. in its early life stage to three metals, arsenic (As), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) in laboratory conditions. Seeds of P. sativum were treated with water containing 0, 50, and 500 µg/l of these metals over a period of 7 days. The results show that the germination of seeds is similar for the control and metal treatments, ranging from 90-100% after 4 days of watering. Shoot development of the seeds exposed to the metals and the control were not significantly different, except that the samples which had undergone the treatment with 500 µg Pb/l had longer shoots. Our results evidence a high capacity for metal tolerance in this plant in the early stages of its life. Therefore, P. sativum may be a promising candidate for the phytoremediation of metal contamination and pollution.