Assessment of cadmium on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in hydroponics medium

Abstract

"Cadmium is a non-essential heavy metal that adversely affects plant growth. Its growth retarding effect has been revealed in different crops. The present research was devised to evaluate the Cd effect on the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars NARC-11 and Galaxy in the hydroponic system. The effect of three concentrations of CdCl2•5H2O (150 M, 200 M and 250 M) were evaluated on seed germination and seedling growth. The study lasted 36 d and Cd concentrations were applied after the interval of 7 d. The experimental design was completely randomized. The results showed that Cd significantly reduced the seed germination (20 % and 30 %), seedling fresh (32 % and 28 %) and dry weight (31 % and 30 %), shoot length (13 % and 14 %), root length (12.5 % and 9.5 %), total chlorophyll content (10 % in both), relative water content (24 % and 36 %), and membrane stability (18.5 % and27 %) in NARC-11 and Galaxy. A remarkable difference was observed in both wheat cultivars.Key words: Wheat, CdCl2•5H2O, hydroponics, chlorophyll content."