Currently, there is a global concern about the poor quality of groundwater intended for agricultural irrigation; since the high demand for water supply has caused the presence of contaminants in the aquifers, among which arsenic (As) stands out. As has a direct impact on the phytotoxicity of agricultural crops and consequently on public health. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of As absorption on the morphology and quality of the lettuce crop. An NFT hydroponic system supplied with a nutrient solution contaminated with different concentrations of As (0, 1, 4, 8, 12, 16 µM AsV) was used. Subsequently, the absorption of As in lettuce leaves and roots, their physiological development and quality were evaluated. The results show that lettuce absorbed As in a range from 3.80±0.69 to 40.35±7.20 µM and 57.82±8.99 to 910.34±28.03 µM for leaf and root, respectively. As, at different concentrations, caused a significant decrease (p<0.05) in lettuce plant growth (>4 µM AsV), number of leaves (4 µM AsV), root growth (>1 µM AsV) and biomass (4 µM AsV). Furthermore, at 16 µM AsV, variations (p<0.05) were observed in the chromatic coordinates and the chlorophyll concentration of the leaves. In conclusion, it was observed that the concentrations of As studied are related to the development and quality of lettuce plants. In addition, the bioaccumulation of As was higher in the root than in the leaves.

https://zoom.us/j/96402928205?pwd=STkydy9tNEZlS24yZlFwZDlIS1pWdz09