Abstract
Metal toxicity and soil salinity at excessive levels in soils are toxic to plants. The main objective of this study was to demonstrate the effects of water salinity (NaCl) and heavy metal concentration on germination and seedling characteristics of maize and beans seeds. Different concentrations of NaCl (0 to 35000 mg/L) and Zn2+, Cu2+ and Pb2+ with concentrations 0 to 600 μmol/L each were used separately. These solutions were used to irrigate maize and bean seeds for 30 days. Data was taken daily for the following parameters; “the number of germinated seeds, shoot length, shoot circumference, leaf area index, leaf colors, senescence, and disease occurrences.” The crops were uprooted at the end of the 30 days and their wet masses were measured and recorded. Results indicated that seed germination reduced with an increase in the concentration of NaCl for both maize and beans with 0% germination recorded in concentrations > 5000 mg/L. The same trends were observed for other parameters, the shoot length, the leaf area index, and the shoot circumference. “For heavy metals, the trends were similar. Beans growth was more affected by Zn and Cu but maize growth was more affected by Pb.” The dry masses and wet masses of the crops with higher concentrations of metals and salts were very low compared to the control experiments. For the effects of salinity and heavy metals on beans and maize seeds, there was a significant difference (P ≤ 0.001) between all tested concentrations and the control for all growth parameters monitored. It was concluded from the results that salinity and heavy metals affect the germination and seedling characteristics of maize and beans; though some metals are essential, their presence in higher concentrations instead cause harm.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Seed germination of maize and beans was reduced with increasing NaCl concentration, with 0% germination above 5000 mg/L.
- Taxon
- maize and beanse1
- Treatment
- NaCle1
- Outcome
- seed germinatione1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Value
- 0%e1
- Qualifier
- concentrations > 5000 mg/Le1
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e1“Results indicated that seed germination reduced with an increase in the concentration of NaCl for both maize and beans with 0% germination recorded in concentrations > 5000 mg/L”
Claim · model-written summary
Shoot length, leaf area index and shoot circumference of maize and beans decreased with increasing NaCl concentration.
- Taxon
- maize and beanse1
- Treatment
- NaCle1
- Outcome
- shoot length, the leaf area index, and the shoot circumferencee2
- Direction
- decreaseinferrede2
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e1“Results indicated that seed germination reduced with an increase in the concentration of NaCl for both maize and beans with 0% germination recorded in concentrations > 5000 mg/L”
e2“The same trends were observed for other parameters, the shoot length, the leaf area index, and the shoot circumference”
Claim · model-written summary
Beans growth was more affected by Zn and Cu than maize growth.
Verbatim
e3“Beans growth was more affected by Zn and Cu but maize growth was more affected by Pb”
Claim · model-written summary
Maize growth was more affected by Pb than bean growth.
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“Beans growth was more affected by Zn and Cu but maize growth was more affected by Pb”
Claim · model-written summary
Dry and wet masses of maize and beans were very low at higher concentrations of metals and salts compared with controls.
Verbatim
e1“Results indicated that seed germination reduced with an increase in the concentration of NaCl for both maize and beans with 0% germination recorded in concentrations > 5000 mg/L”
e4“The dry masses and wet masses of the crops with higher concentrations of metals and salts were very low compared to the control experiments”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity and heavy metal treatments differed significantly from the control at all tested concentrations for all growth parameters of beans and maize.
- Taxon
- beans and maizee5
- Treatment
- salinity and heavy metalse5
- Outcome
- growth parameterse5
- Value
- P ≤ 0.001e5
- Comparator
- controle5
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e5“For the effects of salinity and heavy metals on beans and maize seeds, there was a significant difference (P ≤ 0.001) between all tested concentrations and the control for all growth parameters monitored”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity and heavy metals affect germination and seedling characteristics of maize and beans; high metal concentrations cause harm.
- Taxon
- maize and beanse6
- Treatment
- salinity and heavy metalse6
- Outcome
- germination and seedling characteristicse6
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e6“It was concluded from the results that salinity and heavy metals affect the germination and seedling characteristics of maize and beans; though some metals are essential, their presence in higher concentrations instead cause harm”
The same questions in other papers
zinc atom · growth · Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean)Results differ
5 papers in the same direction as this paper · 19 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
21 papers more in this group
See all 25 papers →lead atom · growth · Zea mays (maize)Results differ
28 papers in the same direction as this paper · 6 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
31 papers more in this group
See all 35 papers →sodium chloride · growth · Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean)Results differ
37 papers in the same direction as this paper · 5 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
39 papers more in this group
See all 43 papers →sodium chloride · growth · Zea mays (maize)Results differ
92 papers in the same direction as this paper · 19 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
- positive
108 papers more in this group
See all 112 papers →copper atom · growth · Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean)Positive and negative results
5 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
6 papers more in this group
See all 10 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.