Botany Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow-226031 India
A clay pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of low and high concentrations of Ni (0.5 ppm) and Zinc (5 and 10 ppm) in amendment of soil singly or in combination. Following parameters were selected to observe effects on growth (shoot length, fresh and dry weight), tissue concentration and some biochemical responses (pigments, protein, sugar and proline contents and catalase enzyme activity) of selected Tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.-Solanaceae). Visible effects produced on plants were observed regularly. Tomato plants accumulated high content of heavy metal where as tissue concentrations of root and shoot were 80.6 and 50.5 µg Ni/g dry weight respectively. The contaminated soil exhibited phototoxic effects on plants.
Keywords: Biochemical parameters; Lycopersican esculantum L.; Nickel; Phytoextraction; Zinc.