A Regulatory Approach Caused by Cold Acclimation and Arsenic on the Impairment of Root Growth of Rice (Oryza sativa)

Development of root growth is impaired by environmental and chemical effectors although the mechanism is not known. Here, we used pot experiment for cultivation of rice (Oryza sativa) to identify the factors involved in impaired growth of root and to explore the effects of cold acclimation and arsenic on the amylase and urease activity in root. The amylase activity was increased whenever exposed to cold for 48h and 72h while mild effect occurred after 24h duration. Acclimation to cold in the presence of different concentrations of Na2HAsO4 also increased the amylase activity effectively than cold exposure alone; however, higher concentration of Na2HAsO4 is potentially involved in this respect. Conversely, root urease activity was impaired and reduced by cold for the above mentioned times. The reduced urease activity was also caused by the combined effect of cold and arsenic compound. Increased amylase activities in response to cold and arsenic might be involved in the survival process. The two effectors are also involved in the impairment of reduced uptake of urea because of the reduced urease activities. The results clearly demonstrate that both effectors produced an adverse environment where the growth and development of roots are impaired.