Effect of excess iron and copper on germination, partitioning and allocation of reserves in Canavalia ensiformis

Abstract

Soil contamination by heavy metals is an object of growing worldwide concern and has gradually increased due to human activities, such as inadequate agricultural practices, the increase in the number of industries, among others. Leguminous plants have characteristics that help degraded soils, because, among other characteristics, they can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, increasing soil fertility. Phytoremediation is a method that uses plants to remove or reduce soil contaminants. Therefore, the objective of this work is to characterize the effect of excess iron and copper on the partition and allocation of carbon and nitrogen reserves in Canavalia ensiformis, as well as its initial response to stress, aiming at its potential in the use of phytoremediation. Canavalia ensiformis is an herbaceous legume with a tropical climate that, in addition to dominating places with high temperatures and droughts, has a fast cycle and is part of the list of species being studied by the team. For the germination potential analysis experiment, germination trays with individual cells will be used where the seeds will be arranged, totaling 30 seeds. To evaluate the allocation of reserves, pots with 5 concentrations of iron (0, 50, 150, 250 and 350 mg/dm³ of soil) and five concentrations of copper (0, 50, 150, 250, 350, mg/dm³ of ground). Each treatment will consist of six biological replications, totaling 30 experimental units. After contaminating the soil, it will be transferred to pots with a capacity of 2 dm3 in which Canavalia ensiformis seeds will be planted directly in the contaminated soil. The experiments will be carried out in a greenhouse and the effect of excess iron and copper on the partition and allocation of carbon and nitrogen reserves in Canavalia ensiformis, as well as its initial response to stress, will be analyzed, aiming at its potential in the use of phytoremediation.