Jornal de Fisiologia e Patologia Vegetal

Hexavalent Chromium Induced Toxicological, Physiological and Biochemical Alterations in Sesbania sesban L. Seedlings

Monalisa Mohanty and Hemanta Kumar Patra

Hexavalent Chromium Induced Toxicological, Physiological and Biochemical Alterations in Sesbania sesban L. Seedlings

Widespread use of chromium in several industrial and mining activities leads to the release of toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) to environment. Screening and identification of hyperaccumulators for possible phytoremediation of Cr6+ from these contaminated sites has gained utmost importance in recent years. A pot culture experiment was conducted to observe the possible phytotoxic effects of Cr6+ in an agroforestry species, i.e. Sesbania sesban L., commonly known as sesban. Cr6+ showed significant growth retardation in 21 days old sesban seedlings, which includes 80% inhibition in seed germination at 10,000 ppm, 59.6% germination index.