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Vicia-Micronucleus Test Application for Saline Irrigation Water Risk Assessment
Dalila Souguir1, Ronny Berndtsson2, Sourour Mzahma1,3
1Laboratory of Non-Conventional Water Valorization, National Research Institute of Rural Engineering, Water, and Forestry, University of Carthage, LR16INRGREF02, 10 Rue Hédi Karray, Manzeh 4, Ariana 2080, Tunisia.
Increasing soil salinity due to climate change impacts plant growth. This study used the Vicia-MCN test to assess salinity toxicity in Vicia faba, revealing significant genotoxic effects and growth inhibition from saline irrigation water.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Plant Biology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Climate change is increasing global soil salinity.
- Saline irrigation water poses a significant threat to agriculture.
- Accurate prediction of plant salinity effects is crucial for food security.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the genotoxic potential and growth effects of brackish/saline irrigation water on Vicia faba seedlings.
- To assess the utility of the Vicia-micronucleus (MCN) test for hazard identification and risk assessment of salinity.
- To investigate the influence of specific salt ions on genome stability and plant growth.
Main Methods:
- Sampling and classification of brackish/saline irrigation water from Tunisia (C3 and C4 categories).
- Testing water samples for genotoxicity and growth effects on Vicia faba seedlings.
- Utilizing the Vicia-MCN test to detect micronuclei (MCN) and chromosome aberrations.
- Employing Pearson correlation to analyze the relationship between salt ion concentration, mitotic index (MI), and growth parameters.
Main Results:
- Increased water salinity led to decreased mitotic index (MI) and growth parameters in Vicia faba.
- Salinity induced the formation of micronuclei (MCN) and chromosome aberrations.
- Specific ions like Mg2+, Na+, and Cl- strongly influenced genome stability and growth.
- The Vicia-MCN test demonstrated a strong positive correlation with K+ and effectively predicted salt ion toxicity.
Conclusions:
- Saline irrigation water negatively impacts Vicia faba genome stability and growth.
- The Vicia-MCN test is a reliable tool for predicting toxicity from salt ions.
- This study highlights the importance of water quality assessment for sustainable agriculture in saline environments.
