Assessment of biological effects in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Plantago major</Emphasis> L. Seed progeny in the zone of impact from a Copper Smelter

The quality of seed progeny was studied in Plantago major from populations growing for a long time in the gradient of chemical pollution around the Karabash Copper Smelter (KCS). The results showed that the range of variation in seed germination and seedling survival rates was wider in background than in impact populations. The lowest values of growth parameters (the number of seedlings with a true leaf and root length) were recorded in the sample from the most polluted plot. Challenging exposure to toxic elements (seed germination in soils from polluted plots) was found to stimulate, to different extents, the rate of leaf formation and suppress root growth in the seedlings. It cannot be stated from these results that the adaptive potential of plants grown in the zone of impact from the KCS is altered, compared to that in other samples. Evaluation of the prooxidant and antioxidant status of seedlings from this zone revealed a decrease in superoxide dismutase and catalase activities (to 60 and 33% of background values, respectively) and an increase in peroxidase activity (to 122%). The prooxidant status of seedlings in samples from the KCS zone was found to be increased, except for the sample from the most polluted plot.