Effect of Chromium VI on edible plants and their health risks: case of Radish (Raphanus sativus L.)

Radish (raphanus sativus L) is a vegetable very rich in vitamin C and fiber, this plant belonging to the family Brassicacae characterized by their great capacity to accumulate heavy metals such as Chromium. The aim of our work is the study of the effect of Chromium VI on the morpho-physiological parameters of radish and the assessment of health risk related to the bioaccumulation of Cr in the edible parts. The plantation of radish was made on a soil artificially contaminated by 4 concentrations of Cr(VI) (10, 20, 40 and 60ppm). After comparing the results obtained with the results of non-contaminated soil, it is observed that the Cr affects negatively the growth, yield and the content of chlorophyll, On the other hand, it is noticed that there is a slight increase of sugars, proteins and Proline content with the increase of CrVI concentration in the soil, we can explain this increase by the development of defense mechanisms by the radish plant against the stress caused by CrVI. Regarding the bioaccumulation of Cr we found that the concentration of Cr in different parts of radish is too high compared to the recommended daily dose (120µg), so it is not recommended to consume radish grown in areas contaminated by Cr