Assessment of the potential of Acacia victoriae seedlings in uptake of lead and zinc heavy metals

In order to investigate the tolerance and impacts of lead and zinc absorption on Acacia victoria  three months old seedlings were exposed to Pb(NO₃)₂ (in five different concentrations: 0, 50, 250, 500 and 1000 (mg/ L) and ZnSO₄ (in 4 different concentrations: 0, 50, 250 and 500 (mg/L) for 45 days.Then, the samples were harvested and some morphological attributes and bioaccumulations of Pb²⁺ and Zn²⁺ in different plant tissues were assessed. Results for lead showed that some attributes were affected by lead. Morphological symptoms of lead effects on the leaves were appeared with thin, yellow and brown spots on the leaves in high concentration (1000 mg/L) and more than 70% of total accumulated lead (2518 mg/kg) were accumulated root tissues. Results for zinc indicated that most of attributes were affected by zinc. Morphological symptoms of zinc effects were observed with decreasing in root diameter, height and biomass in high concentration (500 mg/L) and almost 80% of zinc (3046/2mg/kg) was accumulated in root tissues. With respect to bioaccumulation factor, transfer factor and a strong root system, A. victoriae can be suggested as lead and zinc stabilizing and according amount of accumulated lead in above ground parts in high concentration (1000 mg/L) can be considered as lead hyperaccumulators species. Therefore, A. victoriae can be used as a suitable species for remediation of lead and zinc contaminated areas after complementary studies.