Response of lantana camara plants to foliar applied citric acid for decreasing the harmful effect of heavy metals pollution in the irrigation water (a)‎ effect of cadmium

Abstract EN

The present study was carried-out at Antoniades Research Branch, Horticultural Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Alexandria, Egypt during two successive seasons of 2018 and 2019.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of irrigation water contaminated with cadmium on the growth of Lantana camara plants and the possibility of using citric acid spray treatments to overcome the effects of cadmium pollution.

Seedlings of Lantana camara were planted individually in plastic pots (20 cm diameter) filled with 5 kg of sandy soil.

The Cadmium contaminated irrigation water treatments were 0, 100, 200 and 300 mg/L were applied.

The plants were also monthly sprayed by citric acid at concentrations of 0, 250 and 500 mg/L.

The results showed that for vegetative growth parameters there was no significant difference in the interaction between cadmium concentrations in water of irrigation and foliar spray by citric acid, while a significant reduction was observed in all parameters after irrigation with cadmium contaminated water and a significant increase in vegetative growth parameters was observed after 250 mg/L citric acid application.

For chlorophyll and carbohydrate content, the highest significant value was obtained in plants irrigated with tap water and sprayed with 500 mg/L citric acid while the highest significant level of cadmium content in leaves, stem and roots was obtained due treatment by 300 mg/L cadmium without application of citric acid.