EFFECT OF ARSENITE ON THE CONCENTRATIONS OF MICRONUTRIENTS IN TOMATO PLANTS GROWN IN HYDROPONIC CULTURE

As a part of the study of environmental contamination by arsenic (As), we have undertaken the analysis of the effects caused by arsenic on the processes of absorption and accumulation of the micronutrient elements, boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) in tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill, cultivar Marmande). Therefore, an experiment has been carried out in a hydroponic culture in which different levels of As were used (added in the form of sodium arsenite) in concentrations of 2, 5, and 10 mg/L together with the corresponding control plants. Contamination by As causes changes to take place in both the absorption and transport of all the micronutrients. A reduction in the absorption of B, Cu, Mn, and Zn is observed while there is an increase in the absorption of Fe. In all the cases, there is a reduction in the transport of these elements towards the aerial part of the plant, no doubt as a result of the structural damage caused to the plant.