VANILLIC ACID ALLEVIATES CHROMIUM TOXICITY IN SPINACH ( SPINACIA OLERACEA L.) AND LETTUCE ( LACTUCA SATIVA L.) PLANTS IRRIGATED WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF TANNERY WASTEWATER

Pollution is one of the largest threats to the planet. Human activity is the primary source of environmental contamination. Untreated tannery wastewater releases chromium (Cr) into streams, which is toxic to aquatic life and humans. The goal of this study is to find out how spinach (Spinacia oleracea L) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L) are affected by tannery effluent and how vanillic acid (VA) helps plants that are irrigated with this effluent deal with Cr stress. In this study, three different VA concentrations (0, 25, and 50 mu M) and three different tannery wastewater levels (0, 50, and 100%) were used. The findings show a considerable reduction in the morphological and physiological indices of both of these plants when they were irrigated with tannery effluent. On little-researched plants, chromium stress caused significant oxidative stress and decreased the plant's antioxidant enzyme system. Significant concentrations of Cr were discovered in the roots of plants that received tannery effluent irrigation. The use of VA might lessen the negative consequences of Cr stress. By boosting the activity of antioxidant enzymes and reducing Cr-induced oxidative stress, vanillic acid dramatically promotes plant growth and chlorophyll content. It also enhances gas exchange characteristics and photosynthetic rate. Furthermore, the use of VA dramatically lowers Cr uptake and translocation in both plants. Vanillic acid is an effective heavy metal stress reliever for other crops.