Heavy Metal Accumulation in Virus-infected Tomatoes

The study of the relationship between host-plants, viral pathogens and heavy metals can provide new knowledge to support the e€orts directed toward environmental balance, the development of resistant plants and stable farming. The objective of this study was to establish the e€ect of the combination of virus infection and heavy metals on tomatoes; the e€ect of heavy metal accumula- tion rate in the plants and of plant behaviour under the e€ect of both stress factors. It has been established that infections, caused by the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and tomato mosaic virus (ToMV), a€ect the accumula- tion rate of heavy metals such as Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and As in tomatoes. This process is speci®c for each element and is expressed more strongly with CMV. The response of plants, treated with heavy metals through the root system and infected withCMVandToMVis di€erent, depending on the virus.CMVcombined with heavy metals depressed the whole plant to the same degree whereas ToMV in combination with the same heavy metals depressed the development of the tomato root system more intensively in comparison with the overground part. There is a relationship between the studied biotic and abiotic stress factors of tomato plants.