Hydroponic experiment was conducted to evaluate the single and combine effect of different concentration of Cd (80 µM, 100 µM) and Cr (120 µM, 140 µM) on the seedlings of two wheat cultivars viz. FA-08 and SH-13 commonly grown in Hazara division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa- Pakistan. High dose accumulation of Cd and Cr greatly affected the plant height and leaf number. The presence of Cd reduced the accumulation of Cr, whereas the effect of Cr on the accumulation of Cd depends on the concentrations of Cd used. Different treatments of these HMs (heavy metals) greatly fluctuate the total amount of phytochemicals in leaves of wheat seedlings. The application of Cd and Cr separately and in combination increased the total phenolics in all treatments compared to control groups which were tested on the 18th day of treatment. Highest levels of total phenolics were recorded in FA-08 when Cd is used in a concentration of 80µM. Flavonoid content was high in FA-08 at level Cd+Cr:100+140µM. SH-13 also depicted highest antioxidant activity at level Cd:80µM against all treatments as compared to FA-08. Cd and Cr behaved synergistically because the combined toxicity of Cd and Cr was less than Cd or Cr alone. The current study suggests that both wheat cultivars were tolerant to stress of Cd and Cr up to certain limit and high concentration reduced the contents of phytochemicals, this might cause decrease in the wheat yield.
Effects of Cd and Cr Stress on Physiological and Morphological Traits of Two Cultivars of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under Hydroponic System
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Rafique, F. et al. (2025) “Effects of Cd and Cr Stress on Physiological and Morphological Traits of Two Cultivars of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under Hydroponic System”, Global NEST Journal [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.30955/gnj.07053.
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