Establishment of the Biosorptive Properties of Ulva Lactuca Subjecting Eleusine Coracana (L) Gaertn to Heavy metal stress By Cobalt
Heavy metal pollutants are introduced into the aquatic systems significantly as a result of various industrial operations. Cobalt is an important heavy metal pollutant. It is of interest to study it's effect on the germination and seedling growth of ragi Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn.Biosorption is a low cost tool to control the soil pollution due to metal ions. The uptake of heavy metals by biomass can in some cases reach up to 50% of the biomass dry weight. In the present study the seedlings of finger millet Eleusine coracana L. Gaertn were treated with various concentrations of cobalt chloride and its impact on the morphometric, biochemical and enzymatic characters were studied. After ten days treatment with different concentrations of cobalt chloride (2mM, 4mM, 6mM, 8mM, 10 mM) the growth parameters such as leaf area, fresh weight, dry weight, shoot length, root length were found decreased than in the control. Biochemical parameters such as soluble sugar and protein content were decreased while the contents of free amino acid, proline and leaf nitrate and the activities of enzymes such as catalase and peroxidase were barring nitrate reductase found to increase with the increase in the concentration of cobalt chloride. Application of cobalt chloride filtrate treated with various quantities (2gm/L, 4gm/L 6gm/L 8gm/L) of the seaweed Ulva lactuca on the experimental plant has caused relief from stress due to cobalt chloride has shown the stress relieving effect caused by cobalt chloride. The Atomic Absorption of Spectroscopy (AAS) technique was employed to confirm the presence of cobalt chloride in the treated plants and control. Comparison of the values of treated plants with control reveals that cobalt chloride has seriously affected the finger millet plants and Ulva lactuca efficiently biosorbed the cobalt heavy metal.