Relationship between different physiological processes of Tomato seedlings exposed to acid mine water Uncovered using correlation analysis

Abstract

As a multivariate analytical method, correlation analysis has been widely used to explain links and relationships between phenomena. Research on the relationship between tomato seedlings exposed to acid mine water (AMW) and their physiological processes is scarce. We conducted this study to determine if there was a relationship between tomato seedlings growth response, bioaccumulation factor of different tomato tissues, and elemental composition using correlation analysis. The authors studied whether plant height, stem diameter, seed germination indices, and elemental composition (roots, stems, and leaves) correlated with tomato seedlings exposed to AMW. Values of plant height, stem diameter, seed germination indices (radicle length, final germination percentage (FGP), emergency rate index (ERI), vigour index (VI), and germination percentage (G%) and germination rate index (GRI)) and also, the elemental compositions (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn) in the different plant tissues root (root accumulation factor = RAF), stem (stem translocation factor = STF) and leaves (leaf translocation factor = LTF) were correlated G% correlated with RAF Ni, RAF Ni correlated with radicle length, RAF Ni correlated with GRI, RAF Cd correlated with ERI, ERI correlated with RAF Cr, RAF Cd correlated with FGP, RAF Cd correlated with VI, Vi correlated with RAF Ni, VI correlated with RAF Cr, RAF Cr correlated with LTF Cr, RAF Cr correlated with RAF Zn, Stem diameter correlated with STF Cd, Stem diameter correlated with RAF Cd, Stem diameter correlated with STF Zn and Stem diameter correlated with LTF Cd.Dissimilarities in the association between the plant height, stem diameter, radicle length, FGP, ERI, VI, G%, and GRI were observed with most growth parameters showing a strong positive correlation with the bioaccumulation factor for different heavy metals (HMs). A strong positive correlation was observed in radicle length versus FGP (0.91), ERI (0.71), VI (0.86), G% (0.99), and GRI (0.99). The strong negative correlation between stem diameter and RAF Cd (-0.93), RAF Cr (-0.79), RAF Zn (-0.99), STF Cd (-0.80), STF Zn (-0.99), LTF Cd (-0.87), LTF Cr (-0.78), LTF Zn (-0.99). The study showed a synergistic link between the seed germination indices and HMs which is needed by the plant for enhanced growth.