Influence of aluminium on the restoration potential of a terrestrial vascular plant, Portulaca oleracea L. as a biomonitoring tool of fresh water aquatic environments

In the present study, the influence of aluminium on the regeneration potential of leaf and stem-cuttings of Portulaca oleracea was studied in order to identify a terrestrial plant species as an alternate biomonitoring tool of fresh water environment. The leaves and stem cuttings of the terrestrial plant, P. oleracea grew well in the distilled water producing adventitious and lateral roots. The aluminium treated leaves and stem cuttings showed a reduction in the growth of the adventitious and lateral roots and increase in the decay of leaves and stem cuttings with increasing aluminium concentration. The tolerance index calculated for the leaves and the stem cuttings showed that the leaves were more sensitive than stems to aluminium. Since all the parameters studied showed concentration dependent changes, the terrestrial plant, P. oleracea can be considered a suitable 'biomonitoring tool' of fresh water environment besides its usage in the Al toxicity testing.