The influence of lead compounds on selected morphological features and the physiological processes of Zea mays L.

Soil contamination with heavy metals leads to the accumulation of significant amounts of these elements in plants and disrupts their growth and development. The current experiment investigated the effect of lead in the form of Pb(NO3)2 in water solutions of various percentages (0.1%, 1%, 3%) on the germination of maize grains (Zea mays L.), plant growth (fresh and dry mass ) and their photosynthetic activity. The experiment was performed on plants grown from grains germinated on lead solutions and on plants germinated in distilled water, and watered with lead solutions during growth. The negative influence of lead solutions on the germination capacity of grains was demonstrated. Regardless of the timing of lead application, maize elongation growth was clearly inhibited. Similar results were obtained for the masses of the examined plant organs. The rate of transpiration influenced the photosynthesis intensity and depended on the concentration of the lead solution. Along with the increase in lead concentrations a negative effect of lead on all the parameters tested was observed. In general, it can be concluded that only proper management of arable soils can limit the uptake of heavy metals by plants and thus improve their growth and development.