Assessment of Physiological and Biochemical Traits of Ricebean [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.) Ohwi and Ohashi] Seedling in Response to Equimolar Concentration of Copper and Lead Stress

Abstract

Background: Heavy metal stress has an adverse effect on crop growth and productivity. The present experiment was undertaken to study the physiological and biochemical effects of two heavy metals, viz., copper and lead, at their equimolar concentrations, on seedling growth of ricebean [Vigna umbellata (Thunb.) Ohwi and Ohashi] cv. Bidhan 1. Methods: The seedlings grown in sand culture were subjected to 50, 100 and 200 µM of Cu and Pb. The experiment was done in the laboratory of Department of Plant Physiology, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal in the year 2017-18 and 2018-19. Result: The total dry weight, chlorophyll, relative water as well as proline content in leaf significantly decreased in most of the cases of metal stress, but the lipid peroxidation increased. The mild and medium stress induced substantial increase in the activities of APX, GPOX and SOD. In general, lead was found to be more detrimental in comparison to copper.