Interactive Effect of Arsenic Stress and Seed Phytate Content on Germination and Seedling Development of Different Vegetable Crops

Interactive Effect of Arsenic Stress and Seed Phytate Content on Germination and Seedling Development of Different Vegetable Crops

Arsenic, a naturally occurring toxic metalloid, often builds up in soil as a result of massive lifting of contaminated ground water to irrigate crops. This raises great concern on environmental pollution beside possible adverse effects on crop growth and toxicity. The present experiment was taken up to investigate the interaction of arsenic and seed phytate content on germination and seedling development of some selected vegetable crops. Phytate is a storage form of phosphorus in seeds and phosphorus competes with arsenic due to their structural similarity.