Effect of Different Lead Concentrations on Growth and Heavy Metal Accumulation in Radish Plant (Raphanus sativus L.)
College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq.
* Corresponding Author
ORCID Details
Rayaheen Mohammed Tamkeen: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2880-6626
Research Article
Open Access Research Journal of Biology and Pharmacy, 2026, 18(01), 023–035.
Article DOI: 10.53022/oarjbp.2026.18.1.0052
Publication history:
Received on 01 September 2026; revised on 14 October 2026; accepted on 16 October 2026
Abstract:
This investigation evaluated the ecotoxicological impacts of escalating soil lead (Pb) concentrations on the morphological, physiological, biomass, and bioaccumulative attributes of radish (Raphanus sativus L.). A completely randomized design (CRD) was executed under controlled glasshouse conditions comprising five soil treatments of lead nitrate [Pb(NO3)2]: control (0 mg/kg), 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg dry soil, replicated five times. Substrate lead exposure incited significant (P < 0.05), concentration-dependent suppressions in all vegetative and subterranean growth parameters. Relative to controls, the 400 mg/kg regime triggered dramatic decrements in shoot length (52.4%), taproot length (57.3%), and storage root diameter (61.2%). Biomass accumulation suffered concordant losses, with shoot and root dry weights diminishing by 63.3% and 64.3%, respectively. Physiologically, lead phytotoxicity dismantled photosynthetic capacity, inducing severe losses of chlorophyll a (55.8%), chlorophyll b (61.8%), and total carotenoids (55.1%). Conversely, cellular distress was marked by a 284% surge in free proline and a 258% escalation in electrolyte leakage, revealing profound membrane peroxidative injury. Metal partitioning was characterized by radical root compartmentalization (268.4 mg/kg dry weight at 400 mg/kg soil) over aerial foliar tissues (51.2 mg/kg dry weight). Translocation factor (TF) values consistently remained below unity (TF < 0.28), denoting strong subterranean sequestration and highlighting major food security hazards associated with consuming root crops grown in lead-polluted lands.
Keywords:
Lead; Radish (Raphanus sativus); Bioaccumulation; Oxidative stress; Translocation factor.
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