Copper Toxicity and Prediction Models of Copper Content in Leafy Vegetables

Abstract

Copper (Cu), a toxic metal pollution found in the soil and water of industrialized areas, causes continuous issues for agriculture product contamination and human health hazards. However, information on copper phytotoxicity and its accumulation in vegetables is largely unknown. To evaluate the related agricultural loss and health risks, it is necessary to assess copper phytotoxicity and develop prediction models for copper concentration in vegetables. Here, we assess the growth performance and copper concentration of four leafy vegetables: Water spinach, amaranth, pakchoi, and garland chrysanthemum in copper-contaminated soil. The plant’s height and fresh weight is dramatically reduced when the soil copper concentration is over ~250 mg·kg−1. This yield reduction and copper accumulation are associated with an increase of soil copper concentration, suggesting high copper phytotoxicity levels in plants and soil. The prediction models of plant copper concentration were developed using multiple regressions based on one-step extractions of the soil copper as independent variables. One prediction model derived for amaranth copper using hydrochloric acid (HCl)-extractable and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-extractable copper from soil is able to describe 78.89% of the variance in the measured copper. As a result, the phytotoxic copper level for four leafy vegetables is revealed. Although the prediction models may not be universal, the predicted and phytotoxic copper levels are useful tools for evaluating vegetable yield and daily copper intake.

Heavy Metals and Pesticides Toxicity in Agricultural Soil and Plants: Ecological Risks and Human Health Implications

“…A small amount of Cu is a necessary element for plant nutrition and seed production. However, at high concentrations, Cu is considered a very toxic metal [120,121]. Cu uptake by the plant depends on several factors, such as physicochemical characteristics of the soil and other physiological parameters of the plant [122].…”

The Effect of Amending Soil with Waste Elemental Sulfur on the Availability of Selected Macroelements and Heavy Metals

“…Chelating reagents like EDTA and DTPA react with extracted elements from the solid phase and form stable and soluble metal-organic complexes. These reagents are used to extract available forms of metals-exchangeable and carbonate fractions in soils [58,59]. Extraction with chelating agents may be used to predict element uptake by plants [56].…”

IDENTIFICATION OF GENES REGULATED IN RESPONSE TO Cu EXPOSURE IN Brassica nigra L.

“…Moreover, it affects many processes at a cellular level, including the transcription of genes in the signaling pathway, regulation of protein trafficking, mobilization of some essential ions such as iron and other metals required in oxidative phosphorylation (Meharg 1994, Prasad & Strzalka 1999, Pilon et al 2006). However, Cu released into the environment from many agricultural pollutants, such as pesticides, fungicides, chemical fertilizer agents, sewage, and sludge from wastewater treatments are harmful for plant growth and The high Cu content in soil and water is highly toxic for plant growth and yield (Fernandes & Henriques 1991, Chiou & Hsu 2019. When Cu is present in excess, it can adversely affect many metabolic processes in plants, such as photosynthesis and respiration, nutrient distribution, synthesis of secondary metabolites, water usage and translational and transcriptional regulation (Kopsell & Kopsell 2007, Shahbaz et al 2013).…”