Copper Effects on Growth Parameters of Hollyhock (Althaea rosea L.)

Copper is an essential micronutrient for plant growth which is involvedin many metabolic processes. however excessive amounts of copper maycause environmental pollution. with an increase in the contamination of urbanareas with heavy metals, more attention should be paid to the role of ornamentalplants in removing pollutants from the soils. the effects of heavy metals onthe growth parameters of plants also should be determined. in this research theeffects of four levels of cu (cuso4.5 h2o) including 0, 20, 40 and 80mg cukg soil on growth parameters of hollyhock plants were investigated. resultsshowed that in treated plants root and shoot elongation, root dry weight andshoot fresh weight were not significantly differentiate from control. however,a significant decrease in chl.a, chl.b and total chlorophyll content wasobserved by increasing the cu level in the soil. proline content in the leaftissues reached to the highest values when plants were treated with 80 mg cukg soil. electrolyte leakage of treated plant with 20 mg cu kg soil was not significantdifferentiate from control. the concentration of cu in the shoots androots significantly increased with increasing the cu level in the soil. translocationfactor at all cu concentrations significantly decreased in compared to thecontrol. generally, results showed that a.rosea is a suitable alternative forphytoremediation of copper contaminated area.