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In Vitro Zinc Stress Response of Orchid Mycorrhizal Fungi Isolated From
Orchids in Bris Soil of Setiu Wetlands, Terengganu
Zaiti Binti Mohd Zuhir
Supervisor: Dr. Nurul Aliaa Binti Idris
Bachelor of Science (Biological Science)
School of Fundamental Science
Excessive or deficiency of heavy metals, especially Zn can give adverse effect towards
the soil health and plant growth. Bioremediation which an interaction of plant with
their mycorrhizal partner is found to mediate the solubilization or tolerance with
different heavy metal minerals. In the case of orchid, their relationship with orchid
mycorrhiza fungi enable them to adapt to various extreme habitats. This study aims
to isolate and identify mycorrhiza fungi from orchid in BRIS soil and investigate their
ability to tolerate and solubilize zinc compound. A concentration of 3mM, 6mM, and
9mM of zinc sulfate were prepared in potato dextrose agar (PDA) as treatment. The
solubilization were assessed by measuring growth rate and the solubilization zone. All
isolated orchid mycorrhizae did not have the ability to solubilize zinc sulfate in the 2
months’ timeframe but are able to tolerate the presence of zinc sulfate.
Keywords: Bioremediation, Heavy metals, Solubilization, Tolerance, Zinc
366 | U M T U N D E R G R A D U A T E R E S E A R C H D A Y 2018