Effects of Zn and Cu on Physiological and Biochemical Processes and Their Accumulation Characteristics of Vetiver

Vetiver was grown in hydroponic conditions to investigate the effect of Zn and Cu on growth,water content,leaf chlorophyll concentration,malondialdehyde(MDA),soluble protein,root activity and metal accumulation.Results indicated that low level of Zn and Cu could significantly increase the biomass,water content,chlorophyll content and root activity.The treatment of vetiver with high level of Zn and Cu induced decrease in biomass,water content,chlorophyll,soluble protein content,root activity along with enhanced MDA content.The heavy metal contents in roots of vetiver increased with increasing solution concentration of Zn and Cu.The roots in plants exposed to 60 mg· L-1 Zn and Cu accumulated 2 581 mg·kg-1 of Zn and 6 528 mg·kg-1 of Cu.Plants transported only a small amount of Zn and Cu to their shoots and leaves and concentrations in these tissues were low.