Foliar application of citric acid alleviates lead toxicity and enhances physiological resilience in tomato seedlings.
Mahamud MA, Imran S, Sarker P, Chakrobortty J, Paul NC
Summary
7.8/10Researchers tested whether applying citric acid to tomato leaves can reduce lead contamination damage in seedlings, finding it may protect plant growth and physiological health—an important strategy for safer food production in contaminated soils.
Key Findings
Lead stress significantly reduced plant growth, water content, and photosynthetic pigments in tomato seedlings
Citric acid application demonstrated dose-dependent protective effects against lead toxicity
Foliar citric acid treatment enhanced physiological resilience and ionic content regulation
Original Abstract
Contamination of heavy metals in agricultural soils, particularly with lead (Pb), poses a severe hazard to ecosystems, crop production, and food safety. Although citric acid has been proposed as a potential detoxifying agent, its dose-dependent effects on Pb-stressed tomato plants under controlled conditions are not well understood. A hydroponic experiment was conducted at Khulna Agricultural University, Bangladesh, from January to March 2023 to assess the impact of CA application on tomato seedlings under Pb stress. However, Pb stress significantly impaired plant growth, water content, photosynthetic pigments, and ionic contents (Ca
Species Mentioned
The tomato is a plant whose fruit is an edible berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originated from western South America, and may have been domesticated there, in Mexico, or in Central America. Th...
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