Morphological and biochemical responses of Phaseolus vulgaris L. to mineral stress under in vitro conditions

Mineral stress is one of the major abiotic stresses faced by crop plants. The present study was conducted to investigate the impact of mineral stress (Fe and Zn) on various morphological and biochemical responses of the shoot and root tissues of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). The study was conducted under in vitro conditions, in which seeds of SFB-1 (Shalimar French Bean-1) were cultured on four different MGRL medium (control, 0-Fe, 0-Zn and 300-Zn). Chlorophyll, total sugars, proline, length and weight of shoot and root were assessed and compared within and between the treatments. The data analyzed revealed significant difference between control and other three treatments. Length and weight of shoot and root significantly decreased under 0-Fe, 0-Zn and 300-Zn as compared to control. Chlorophyll content was significantly decreased in three treatments 0-Fe, 0-Zn and 300-Zn than control. Total sugar was significantly higher in shoots and 300-Zn of roots in comparison to control. Proline content was significantly higher in both tissues for 0-Fe, 0-Zn and 300-Zn than control. These findings suggest disturbance in cell homeostasis leading to damage/ oxidative stress in response to mineral imbalances, however, further investigations are required to understand changes in gene expression levels under Fe and Zn stress. © 2019, Society for Plant Research.