Abstract

IMPACT OF ANTIBIOTICS ON PLANT GROWTH

Rupali Barnwal and Dr. Pammi Gauba*

Abstract

The production and use of veterinary antibiotics has increased rapidly worldwide over the last few decades. However, when these antibiotics are excreted or when used as a part of organic manure, they are spread over the crop land hence plant growth and development might be affected. Impacts on human health through the consumption of antibiotic exposed crop plants have been intensively investigated. Information is still lacking on the effects of antibiotics on plants themselves, particularly on crop species, although evidence suggests adverse effects of antibiotics on growth and performance of plants. This study evaluates the effects of the two antibiotics namely chlortetracycline and tetracycline. Tetracycline, chlortetracycline and tylosin had very little effects on soil respiration while sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethazine and trimethoprim showed temporal effects on properties like soil respiration. Sulfonamides (sulfamethoxazole and sulfamethazine) and trimethoprim are the two groups of antibiotics which were found to be most toxic to plant when it was grown in soil. The main aim and objective of this study is to evaluate experimental evidence of plant-pharmaceuticals interaction, their uptake and their removal by plants and to suggest an open area of research in this new field.

Keywords: Antibiotics, Sorption, Degradation and Soil Respiration.