2002 Volume 43 Issue 1 Pages 41-44
The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxic effect of heavy metals to bacteria and plant. A spiderwort (Tradescantis clone BNL 4430) and coliform bacteria (Esherichea coli strain MV1184 and Comamonas testosteroni strain TK102) were used in this study. The growth of C. testosteroni strain TK102 was inhibited by copper, lead, and cadmium. Cadmium shows the strongest growth inhibition among these three metals. In an assay of Tradescantis, zinc reduced the amount of chlorophiles in leaves. Copper inhibited flowering and had a fatal effect on Tradescantia.