Page 176 - AJWEP-22-6

Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution. Vol. 22, No. 6 (2025), pp. 170-179.
doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025140101

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

A greenhouse pot experiment assessing the
zinc-accumulating behavior of Lupinus uncinatus Schldl

Muhammad Ehsan * , Vicente Espinosa Hernández , Dilawar Hassan ,
1,2
1
3
Ayesha Sani , Francisco Marcelo Lara Viveros , Jorge Luis Becerra López ,
3
4
5
Eduardo Baltierra Trejo , Rehana Gulzar , Nisbat Ali ,
7
8
6
and Shahid Bashir 9
1 Department of Soil Science, Postgraduate College of Agricultural Sciences, Montecillos, State of Mexico, Mexico
2 Centro de Bachillerato Tecnológico Agropecuario No. 162 (Agricultural and Livestock Technology College No. 162),
Francisco I. Madero, Tlaxcala, Mexico
3 Department of Nanotechnology, School of Sciences and Engineering, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Atizapán de Zaragoza,
State of Mexico, Mexico
4 Department of Biosciences and Agrotechnology, Centro de Investigación en Química Aplicada (Center for Research in
Applied Chemistry), Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico
5 Climate Change and Natural Resources Conservation Laboratory, Ecological Studies Centre, Faculty of Biological
Sciences, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico
6 Researchers for Mexico Program, Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCyT – National
Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies), Mexico City, Mexico
7 Department of English, Faculty of Languages and Literature, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan
8 Department of Management Science, Faculty of Management Sciences, National University of Modern Languages,
Islamabad, Pakistan
9 Department of Marketing, Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Atizapán de Zaragoza, State of Mexico, Mexico
*Corresponding author: Muhammad Ehsan (Muhammadehsan2000@yahoo.com)

Received: April 3, 2025; Revised: July 6, 2025; Accepted: July 16, 2025; Published online: September 9, 2025

Abstract: A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the zinc (Zn) accumulation potential of Lupinus
uncinatus Schldl. The effects of varying Zn concentrations on plant dry matter yield, metal tolerance, and Zn
accumulation and distribution in roots, stems, and leaves were investigated. Zn was applied as ZnCl at rates of,
2
200, 400, and 600 mg/kg. One-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison test (p<0.05)
revealed significant effects of Zn on root dry weight, Zn uptake in roots, stems, and leaves, and the shoot-to-root
Zn ratio. Root dry weight was significantly reduced, with the highest Zn treatment (600 mg/kg) causing a 57%
reduction compared to control plants. However, no significant differences were observed in overall plant dry matter
yield. Metal tolerance declined with increasing Zn stress. Zn accumulation in leaves reached 9,632 mg/kg and
14,771 mg/kg at soil Zn application rates of 400 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg, respectively. The shoot-to-root Zn ratio
exceeded one, and more than 64% of the total Zn absorbed by L. uncinatus was translocated to the shoots at
600 mg/kg. These results position L. uncinatus as a promising species for Zn phytoremediation, encouraging future
studies under field conditions and with other toxic metals.

Keywords: Metal uptake; Zinc toxicity; Phytoremediation; Tolerance index; Lupin plants; Soil contamination

Volume 22 Issue 6 (2025) 170 doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025140101