Toxicity assessment of soil amended with tannery sludge, trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium, using wheat, oat and sorghum plants

Seed germination, seedling growth (root and shoot) and Cr accumulation in dry tissue were measured. Toxicological parameters; medium effective concentration, no observed adverse effect concentration and low observed adverse effect concentration were determined. Root growth was the most sensitive assessment of Cr toxicity (P < 0.05). There was a significant correlation (P < 0.0001) between Cr accumulation in dry tissue and toxic effects on seedling growth. The three Cr sources had different accumulation and mobility patterns; tannery sludge was less toxic for all three plant species, followed by CrCl3·6H2O and K2Cr2O7.