Abstract

BUENDIA-VALVERDE, María de la Luz; TREJO-TELLEZ, Libia Iris; CORONA-TORRES, Tarsicio  and  AGUILAR-RINCON, Víctor Heber. CADMIUM, THALLIUM AND VANADIUM DIFERENTIALLY AFFECT GERMINATION AND INITIAL GROWTH OF THREE CHILI PEPPER VARIETIES. Rev. Int. Contam. Ambient [online]. 2018, vol.34, n.4, pp.737-749. ISSN 0188-4999.  https://doi.org/10.20937/rica.2018.34.04.14.

The effects of the metals cadmium (Cd), thallium (Tl) and vanadium (V) in concentrations of 0, 25 and 50 µM each were evaluated independently in indicators of germination and initial growth in three varieties of chili pepper: jalapeño, poblano, and serrano. The seeds were treated for 15 days, and the number of germinated seeds was quantified in 24-h intervals to obtain the percentage of germination (PG). At the end of this period, the relative percentage of germination (RPG), lengths of shoots (LS) and roots (LR), relative radicle growth (RRG), germination index (GI) and the coefficient of germination speed (CGS) were evaluated. The PG and the RPG were not affected by the treatments. The main effects of the study factors were observed in indicators related to the initial plant growth. The tolerance of the varieties to the metals under study is, in decreasing order, jalapeño > poblano > serrano. Tl in particular was highly phytotoxic in the serrano variety. Conversely, Tl increased the LS in the jalapeño and poblano varieties. Cd stimulated the LS of poblano, while V stimulated the CGS in jalapeño, and the LS of the poblano pepper. It is concluded that Cd, Tl, and V produce differential effects on chili peppers, which are dependent on the genotype tested, the concentration of the metal evaluated and the developmental phase (germination or initial growth).

Keywords : Capsicum annuum; heavy metals; pollution; phytotoxicity; biostimulation.

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