Scavenging evaluation of copper and cadmium during in vivo and in vitro growth of Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. by atomic absorption spectroscopy

Evaluation and comparison of the scavenging efficiency of in vivo and in vitro grown Lycopersicon esculentum for copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) (which are the major components of inorganic contaminants and extremely harmful to the living beings, when exceeded to their threshold limits), using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), was conducted during the present study. Field plants were grown in the back yard of Botany Department, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan, where as in vitro plants were cultured on a mixture of 2, 4-D (2.5 mg/L) and NAA (2.0 mg/L) in Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium. Bioassays of both these type of L. esculentum plants were subjected to atomic absorption spectrophotometer for the analysis of their scavenging efficiency of the aforementioned elements, after a growth period of 50 days. The concentration of copper was found to be 1.0282 ppm in in vivo grown leaves and 0.5105 ppm in in vitro grown leaves. The concentration of cadmium was 0.194 ppm in in vivo grown leaves and 0.0160 ppm in regenerated leaf tissues. Both the trace elements gave their lesser concentrations in in vitro grown plants of L. esculentum showing that such plants can be used as scavengers of contaminated soils. The results support the idea that in vitro grown hyperaccumulator plant species can be used as natural scavengers for the removal of metal toxicity through their rhizosphere, from the polluted land areas on a wider extent.