Cadmium induced physio-chemical changes in roots of wheat

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd 2+ ) is a highly toxic biologically non-essential heavy metal which adversely affects the growth, development and yield of plants. Therefore, the study was undertaken to assess the effects of different concentrations of CdCl 2 (25, 50, 75 and 100 ppm) on physiological and biochemical changes occur during initial growth phases. The accumulation of heavy metal cadmium (Cd 2+ ) in roots of wheat seedling, level of toxicity and their effect on wheat seedling was measured by measuring / estimating the % inhibition of germination, length of root, shoot (cm), root/shoot ratio, seed vigour index (SVI), phytotoxicity (%), tolerance index (T. I. %), relative water content (RWC%) chlorophyll content (mg g -1 ), proline content (µg g -1 ) and superoxide dismutase (SOD, unit×10 2 g -1 f. wt. min -1 ). As the externally imposed elevated levels of CdCl 2 increased towards 25 to 100 ppm the cadmium (Cd 2+ ) concentration increased in roots in the same proportion. The effect of (Cd 2+ ) uptake by root was appeared on reduction of % inhibition of germination, length of root, shoot (cm), root/shoot ratio, T.I.(%), RWC(%), and Chlorophyll content (mg g -1 ). While the phytotoxicity (%), proline content (µg g -1 ) and superoxide dismutase (SOD, unit×10 2 g -1 f. wt. min -1 ) were found to be increased in wheat seedling at 240 hours of old wheat seedling in comparison to control (Without treated set). © 2018, SPR, All Rights Reserved.