Haifu Li
Shenyang Agricultural University, China
Title: Effects of paper mill wastewater on seedling growth and the antioxidant system of reeds
Biography
Biography: Haifu Li
Abstract
The effects of different concentrations of wastewater (chemical oxygen demands of 300, 175 and 50 mg•L-1) from a paper mill on seedling growth and the antioxidant system in reeds were tested in experimental pools that simulated the wetland ecosystem of the Liaoning Shuangtai estuary in China. Root length, biomass and moisture content, but not shoot moisture content and plant height, significantly increased with increases in wastewater concentration. At a concentration of 300 mg•L-1, shoot biomass increased by 52.5% and root biomass increased by 73.05% over the control. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, production rate of superoxide anions (O2•-) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content all decreased with increasing concentration. At 300 mg•L-1, MDA content, production rate of O2•- and H2O2 content were 0.34, 0.24 and 0.16 times, respectively, those of the control in leaves and were 0.25, 0.19 and 0.17 times, respectively, those of the control in roots. Superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase activities and ascorbic acid and glutathione contents in leaves and roots significantly increased with increasing concentrations of wastewater. These results suggest that a concentration of 300 mg•L-1 could improve the activities of antioxidant enzymes, inhibit the generation of reactive oxygen species and reduce the generation of MDA, thus effectively alleviating the damage caused by salinity in wetland soil.