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Yeboah S, Dogbatse JA, Asiedu Kumi M, Supe Tulcan RX, Addae-Wireko L. Heavy metal status in cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) soils and beans: the case of Abuakwa North Municipality of Eastern Region, Ghana. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:156. [PMID: 38227120 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12334-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
In recent times, public concerns over the potential accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soils and crops due to the excessive use of agrochemicals are increasing. This study was conducted in the Abuakwa North Municipality of Eastern Region, Ghana, to assess the status of heavy metals in cocoa soils and beans. Cocoa farms aged between 10 and 20 years and have received agrochemicals for at least 5 years were selected, and their adjacent forests were used as controls. Soil samples and cocoa pods were collected randomly and processed for laboratory analysis. The study discovered that across the sampling sites, heavy metal concentrations in soil were below permissible limits. However, contamination factor and geo-accumulation index results revealed that Tontro cocoa farms were considerably contaminated and moderately polluted respectively with Cu, probably due to long-term fungicide application. The concentrations of Fe (39.3-47.1 mg kg-1) and Zn (54.8-70.0 mg kg-1) in the cocoa beans across the communities were below the FAO/WHO's safe limit of 99.4 mg kg-1 and 73.0 mg kg-1 respectively. Lead (0.03-0.06 mg kg-1) and Cd (0.12-0.20 mg kg-1) concentrations were below the EU's maximum allowable level and Codex Alimentarius Commission's limit of 1.0 mg kg-1 respectively. However, bean Cu content in the Tontro farm (51.5 mg kg-1) was slightly above the EU's recommended maximum limit of 50.0 mg kg-1, possibly due to the continuous application of copper-based fungicides. The study showed that, overall, agrochemicals used for cocoa farming in Abuakwa North Municipality of Ghana did not cause serious harm to the soils and beans, since the mean metal concentrations were not alarming and guarantee public health safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Yeboah
- Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, P. O. Box 8, New Tafo-Akim, Eastern Region, Ghana.
| | | | - Michael Asiedu Kumi
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Roberto Xavier Supe Tulcan
- State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Louis Addae-Wireko
- Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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Ilyas MZ, Sa KJ, Ali MW, Lee JK. Toxic effects of lead on plants: integrating multi-omics with bioinformatics to develop Pb-tolerant crops. PLANTA 2023; 259:18. [PMID: 38085368 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-023-04296-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
MAIN CONCLUSION Lead disrupts plant metabolic homeostasis and key structural elements. Utilizing modern biotechnology tools, it's feasible to develop Pb-tolerant varieties by discovering biological players regulating plant metabolic pathways under stress. Lead (Pb) has been used for a variety of purposes since antiquity despite its toxic nature. After arsenic, lead is the most hazardous heavy metal without any known beneficial role in the biological system. It is a crucial inorganic pollutant that affects plant biochemical and morpho-physiological attributes. Lead toxicity harms plants throughout their life cycle and the extent of damage depends on the concentration and duration of exposure. Higher levels of lead exposure disrupt numerous key metabolic activities of plants including oxygen-evolving complex, organelles integrity, photosystem II connectivity, and electron transport chain. This review summarizes the detrimental effects of lead toxicity on seed germination, crop growth, and yield, oxidative and ultra-structural alterations, as well as nutrient absorption, transport, and assimilation. Further, it discusses the Pb-induced toxic modulation of stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, respiration, metabolic-enzymatic activity, osmolytes accumulation, and antioxidant activity. It is a comprehensive review that reports on omics-based studies along with morpho-physiological and biochemical modifications caused by lead stress. With advances in DNA sequencing technologies, genomics and transcriptomics are gradually becoming popular for studying Pb stress effects in plants. Proteomics and metabolomics are still underrated and there is a scarcity of published data, and this review highlights both their technical and research gaps. Besides, there is also a discussion on how the integration of omics with bioinformatics and the use of the latest biotechnological tools can aid in developing Pb-tolerant crops. The review concludes with core challenges and research directions that need to be addressed soon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Zahaib Ilyas
- Department of Applied Plant Sciences, College of Bio-Resource Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, South Korea
| | - Kyu Jin Sa
- Department of Crop Science, College of Ecology & Environmental Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Sangju, 37224, Korea
| | - Muhammad Waqas Ali
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
- Department of Crop Genetics, John Innes Center, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Ju Kyong Lee
- Department of Applied Plant Sciences, College of Bio-Resource Sciences, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, South Korea.
- Interdisciplinary Program in Smart Agriculture, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, South Korea.
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Barroso JP, de Almeida AAF, do Nascimento JL, Oliveira BRM, Dos Santos IC, Mangabeira PAO, Ahnert D, Baligar VC. The damage caused by Cd toxicity to photosynthesis, cellular ultrastructure, antioxidant metabolism, and gene expression in young cacao plants are mitigated by high Mn doses in soil. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:115646-115665. [PMID: 37884715 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30561-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Manganese (Mn) is one of the essential mineral micronutrients most demanded by cacao. Cadmium (Cd) is highly toxic to plants and other living beings. There are indications that Mn can interact with Cd and mitigate its toxicity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the action of Mn on the toxic effect of Cd in young plants of the CCN 51 cacao genotype, subjected to different doses of Mn, Cd, and Mn+Cd in soil, through physiological, biochemical, molecular, and micromorphological and ultrastructural changes. High soil Mn doses favored the maintenance and performance of adequate photosynthetic processes in cacao. However, high doses of Cd and Mn+Cd in soil promoted damage to photosynthesis, alterations in oxidative metabolism, and the uptake, transport, and accumulation of Cd in roots and leaves. In addition, high Cd concentrations in roots and leaf tissues caused irreversible damage to the cell ultrastructure, compromising cell function and leading to programmed cell death. However, there was a mitigation of Cd toxicity when cacao was grown in soils with low Cd doses and in the presence of Mn. Thus, damage to the root and leaf tissues of cacao caused by Cd uptake from contaminated soils can be attenuated or mitigated by the presence of high Mn doses in soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joedson Pinto Barroso
- State University of Santa Cruz, Department of Biological Sciences, Highway Jorge Amado, km 16, Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Alex-Alan Furtado de Almeida
- State University of Santa Cruz, Department of Biological Sciences, Highway Jorge Amado, km 16, Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil.
| | - Junea Leandro do Nascimento
- State University of Santa Cruz, Department of Biological Sciences, Highway Jorge Amado, km 16, Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Bruna Rafaela Machado Oliveira
- State University of Santa Cruz, Department of Biological Sciences, Highway Jorge Amado, km 16, Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Ivanildes Conceição Dos Santos
- State University of Santa Cruz, Department of Biological Sciences, Highway Jorge Amado, km 16, Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil
| | | | - Dário Ahnert
- State University of Santa Cruz, Department of Biological Sciences, Highway Jorge Amado, km 16, Ilhéus, BA, 45662-900, Brazil
| | - Virupax C Baligar
- USDA-ARS-Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Beltsville, Beltsville, MD, USA
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