Germination, root and shoot length as indicators of water quality

Abstract

Seed germination, root and shoot length of mustard (Sinapis alba L.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) were measured to determine the influence of water quality on plant growth. Parameters were assessed after seven (corn, barley and mustard) and eight days (cucumber). The results indicate that water quality has no effect on germination, since there were no significant differences in germination percentage between treatments of all four plant species. The test plants, however, responded to changes through variability of root length (cucumber and barley) and shoot length (mustard, cucumber and maize). Given the above, germination was the least sensitive to changes in water quality. The results of this study showed that, as regards the assessment of water quality using seed germination as the parameter, deionized water was the most appropriate for mustard, distilled water for cucumber, and distilled deionized water for barley and maize. Regarding root length, deionized water was the most appropriate for mustard, tap water for cucumber, distilled water for barley and deionized water for maize. As regards shoot length, deionized water was most suitable for mustard growth, alkaline water for cucumber, and tap water for barley and maize. Apart from this, one should also consider the presence/absence of significant differences between these treatments, and instructions given by standard protocols.