ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Pesticide-Induced Physiological, Metabolic
and Ultramorphological Alterations in Leaves
of Young Maize Seedlings
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1
Institute of Crop Science, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture and Biotechnology,
Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.R. China
2
Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Pakistan
3
Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Pakistan
4
Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Pakistan
5
Natural Resource Division, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), Islamabad, Pakistan
Submission date: 2019-02-07
Final revision date: 2019-04-12
Acceptance date: 2019-04-24
Online publication date: 2020-02-13
Publication date: 2020-03-31
Corresponding author
Muhammad Daud Khan
Biotechnology and GE, KUST,Pakistan, iotechnology and GE, KUST,Pakistan, 26000, Kohat, Pakistan
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2020;29(3):2247-2258
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ABSTRACT
Pesticides are usually used to eliminate weeds and insects to improve crop quality and
yield. The present study was undertaken to explore pesticides (Lambda cyhalotherin (LC) and
Emamectin benzoate (EB)) related physiological, biochemical and ultrastructural changes in leaves of
maize seedlings at different concentrations of LC and EB both singly (LC100, LC500, LC800, EB100, EB300,
EB600 mg/L) and jointly (LC500 + EB300 mg/L) along with control. Germination percentage, root stem
and leaf lengths increased at lower concentrations of both pesticides and significantly decreased with
the increase in the external application of pesticides. At higher concentrations of LC and EB (i.e., LC800
and EB600 mg/L) the mean values of growth and biomass of maize leaves were lower than control. Also,
decreases in photosynthetic pigments and ion concentration of Na1+, Ca2+ and K1+ were significant when
the concentration of both pesticides increased. The melondialdehyde (MDA) contents decreased, while
the amount of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production increased at higher doses in cases of single and
joint applications. With the increase in their concentrations, the activities of antioxidant enzymes such
as superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) were found to be pronouncedly
enhanced as compared to control. Ultrastructural alterations in mesophyll cells of maize leaf were
mostly found in chloroplast and nucleus. The present study revealed that short-term exposure of maize
seedlings to pesticides (LC and EB) caused less stressful effects on maize due to the presence of active
antioxidative metabolism, which indicates the resistant nature of maize toward these pesticides.