Arsenic represents a serious health threat in localities with a high arsenic-polluted environment and can easily get into the human food chain through agronomy production in areas affected by arsenic contamination. Onion plants that were grown in controlled conditions in arsenic-contaminated soil (5, 10, and 20 ppm) were harvested 21 days after contamination. Arsenic levels (from 0.43 ± 0.03 µg g-1 to 1761.11 ± 101.84 µg g-1) in the onion samples were high in the roots and low in the bulbs and leaves, which is probably caused by a reduced ability of the onions to transport arsenic from roots to bulbs and leaves. Arsenic species As(V) and As(III) in As(V)-contaminated soil samples were represented strongly in favor of the As(III) species. This indicates the presence of arsenate reductase. Levels of 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) (from 5.41 ± 0.28% to 21.17 ± 1.33%) in the onion samples were also higher in the roots than in the bulbs and leaves. Microscopic sections of the roots were examined, and the most damage was found in the 10 ppm As variant. Photosynthetic parameters pointed to a significant decrease in photosynthetic apparatus activity and the deterioration of the physiological state of plants as arsenic content increased in the soil.
Keywords: arsenic accumulation; arsenic species; epigenetics; methylation; onion; toxic metals.