Activity of dehydrogenases, catalase and urease in copper polluted soil

Abstract

Copper is a life essential element. However, in excess it can be destructive to metabolism of microbial, plant, animal and human cells. Thus, an understanding of all conditions associated with the effect produced by copper on natural environment is vital. The purpose of the present study has been to evaluate the effect of soil contamination with copper on the activity of dehydrogenases, catalase and urease as well as to determine the tolerance of these enzymes to excessive amounts of copper in soil. The variable factors of the experiment consisted of: 1) soil type: loamy sand and sandy loam; 2) copper pollution rate in mg kg-1 d.m. of soil: 0, 150, 450; 3) soil use: unseeded and seeded soil; 4) crop species: barley, spring oilseed rape and yellow lupine; 5) dates of enzymatic analyses: 25 and 50 day. The results have revealed that copper pollution, within the rates of 150 to 450 mg kg-1 d.m. of soil, significantly inhibits the activity of dehydrogeanses, urease and catalase, with catalase being the most tolerant to excessive copper, unlike dehydrogeneases, which were the most sensitive enzymes. Urease was found to be intermediate in the response to copper. Dehydrogenases, urease and catalase are the least tolerant to the inhibitory effect of copper in soil under spring oilseed rape, being the most tolerant to the pollution in soil under oats. Copper produces stronger inhibitory effect on soil enzymes in unseeded than in seeded soil. The negative effect of excess copper in soil persists and, instead of diminishing, the longer copper remains in soil, the stronger effect it yields. Dehydrognases and catalase are less tolerant to copper in sandy loam than in loamy sand, unlike urease, which was more tolerant to the pollutant in loamy sand than in sandy loam. Tolerance of plants to soil contamination with copper is a species-specific trait. Among the tested crops, yellow lupine was the least tolerant whereas spring oilseed rape was the most tolerant to copper contamination.

Reaction of soil enzymes and spring barley to copper chloride and copper sulphate

“…According to Wang et al (2007), copper applied in the amount of 658 mg kg -1 inhibited the activity of microorganisms in soil and thus limited the uptake of the substrate, the formation of the enzyme and the absorption of the generated product by microorganisms. Therefore, it is frequently accepted that dehydrogenases reflects the biological state of soil in the most exact manner (Wyszkowska et al 2009; Ge and Zhang 2011). However, copper had a comprehensive effect on the enzymes, which is proven by the strong inhibition of urease activity, and urease is both an intraand extracellular enzyme, with as much as 80-90% of it being able to form complexes with soil colloids.…”

“…A study conducted by Kucharski and Wyszkowska (2004) also showed that a toxic effect which involves disruption of water balance (wilting), chlorosis of young leaves and damaging of the apex and roots in spring barley was stronger in plants grown on leached brown soil formed from light loamy sand than on leached brown soil formed from light loam. Regardless of the physicochemical properties of soil, contamination of soil with copper has a negative effect of plant growth, disrupting electron transport and decreasing the rate of photosynthesis (Zhang et al 2014) and results in a yield decrease (Wyszkowska et al 2009;Girotto et al 2013). When copper levels in soil increase and it is taken up by plants, it is fixed in roots by phytochelatins, and only small amounts are accumulated in the above-ground parts (Kotrba et al 2009).…”

Effects of lead and zinc mining contamination on bacterial community diversity and enzyme activities of vicinal cropland

“…Previous research has shown that urease was less affected by heavy metals, which may be caused by the difference of soil properties (Wyszkowska et al 2009;Khan et al 2007).…”

Biorremediacion Mediante La Asociación Entre Microorganismos Y Plantas

“…Por ejemplo, la alta concentración de Cadmio (40 mg Cd/kg de suelo) inhibió la tasa de crecimiento microbiano, la fosfatasa ácida del suelo, la fosfatasa alcalina y a la ureasa (Renella et al, 2006). Una mayor concentración de Cu (150 a 450 mg / kg de suelo) inhibió significativamente las deshidrogenasas del suelo, ureasa y catalasa (Wyszkowska et al, 2009). Los metales pesados causan disminución significativa del crecimiento de la planta y el contenido de proteína a altas concentraciones.…”