Alleviation of Cadmium Toxicity in Triticum aestivum Using the Coagulant Defatted Moringa oleifera and Moringa peregrina Seeds Powder.

Abstract

HE PRESENT study explores the unexploited sorption ……..properties of Moringa oleifera Lam (MO)and Moringa peregrina Foresk (MP) for decontamination of Cd 2+ at laboratory scale. Triticum aestivum plants were grown under Cd 2+ stress. Moringa seed powder (3 g/ kg soil) of both species were mixed with the soil before wheat sowing. After ten days, the Cd-concentrations were applied to the treated pots (0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mM). Plant samples were collected at 5 weeks post sowing to assess the growth traits and certain physiological parameters. Growth traits, relative water content, photosynthetic pigments were decreased under Cd 2+ stress. However, the application of Moringa seed powder can detoxify the toxic effect of cadmium acetate stress on the above parameters. The Cd 2+ stress increased the Cd 2+ contents in roots and shoots of wheat plants, but in the Moringa seed powder-treated plants under Cd 2+ stress revealed a reverse situation. Both Moringa species can coagulate Cd 2+ from the soil by the presence of proteins having coagulation properties (MWts 64.5, 51.4, 41.2, 38.3, 27.9 and 18.9 KDa). The effect of MO seed powder in mitigating the adverse effect of Cd 2+ stress on wheat plant was much pronounced than that of MP seed powder.