Investigation of the effect of graphene oxide on reducing boron ecotoxicity of some LEMNA species

Graphene oxide (GO) (C140H42O20) is a new, organic and carbon material that has recently been used potently in the industrial field. Studies on the using of GO during the reduction of environmental pollution by phytoremediation are quite new, due to its electrochemical properties and the advantages of providing to plants in polluted environments. Therefore, in this study, enzymatic and morphological changes of Lemna minor L. (Araceae) and Lemna gibba L. (Araceae) species under different boron concentrations depending to their interaction with GO were investigated. For this purpose, experimental plant sets having different concentrations of boron (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 and 128 ppm) containing GO in a certain amount (5 mg l-1) which do not cause any toxicity in plants were grown and during the experiment, both plants (B treatment amounts, number of leaves, antioxidant enzyme activities, chlorophyll and biomass amounts) and changes in the environment (pH, conductivity) were observed. According to the results, it was determined that GO particles in the environment increased B tolerance and B uptake capacity of plant species. The maximum amount of B uptake (24.63 mg l-1) was observed in the experimental group containing 128 ppm B. We believe that the results obtained from this study will provide an alternative and innovative perspective to the standard methods used in B treatment. Keywords: Antioxidant enzyme, Boron, Phytoremediation, Graphene oxide, Lemna