Investigating the anatomy of the halophyte Salsola crassa and the impact of industrial wastewater on its vegetative and generative structures

Abstract

Salsola crassa M.B. is one of the most successful plants used against industrial pollutants. In this study, we selected youngSalsola crassa M.B. plants from their natural habitats. Some plants were irrigated with industrial wastewater containing Fe, Co, Ni, Cu,Pb, and Zn, and others were irrigated with tap water for 3–4 months. Afterwards, the shoots and roots were randomly cut, separated,fixed, dyed, and observed using light microscopy. Structural changes were analyzed by stereology. There were some differences inappearance and structure between the treated and control samples. For example, the number of leaves and flowers and the size ofseeds and flowers in the treated plants were reduced. The diameter of the cortical parenchyma, the total area of each vascular bundle,surface area of the pith cells in the stem, leaf cuticle thickness, mechanical layer thickness of the anther, and diameter of pollen grainswere reduced. A peculiar palisade chlorenchyma beneath the epidermis and unexpected small vascular bundles on the upper part ofthe cortex were features of both groups. Finally, we concluded that industrial waste water pollutants affected various aspects of plantdevelopment.