ALTERATIONS IN THE NUCLEIC ACID AND PROTEIN CONTENT IN SORGHUM BICOLOR PLANTS UNDER ZINC EXCESS

Trace metals like zinc are natural components of the environment but, elevated and potentially toxic levels sometimes occur. The use of zinc fertilizers and pesticides is a common agricultural practice, which over the years lead to elevated levels of zinc in the soil.In the present investigation seven-day old Sorghum bicolor plants were treated with five different concentrations of zinc solution and sampling was done at different stages of plant growth to estimate the nucleic acid and protein content. The results revealed a significant reduction in DNA, RNA and proteins in the plants growing at higher concentrations of zinc treatment as compared to control. Toxic levels of heavy metal ions induce several cellular stress responses and damages different cellular components such as membranes, proteins and DNA.