Open Access

ARTICLE

Germination and Early Growth Responses of Bread Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to Cadmium Stress

Nada Zaari Jabri¹, Mohamed Ait-El-Mokhtar^1,*, Fadoua Mekkaoui¹, Najwa Rabah¹, Ilham Amghar¹, Ghizlane Diria², Abdelaziz Hmyene¹

1 Laboratory of Biotechnology, Agri-food, Materials, and Environment (LBAME), Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Techniques—Mohammedia, Hassan II University of Casablanca, BP 146, Mohammedia, 28800, Morocco
2 UR Biotechnologie, CRRA-Rabat, Institut National de La Recherche Agronomique, BP 6570, Rabat, 10101, Morocco

* Corresponding Author: Mohamed Ait-El-Mokhtar. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Plant Responses and Adaptations to Environmental Stresses)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(11), 3687-3701. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.071634

Received 09 August 2025; Accepted 09 October 2025; Issue published 01 December 2025

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) contamination is a major environmental stressor that adversely affects crop germination and early development. This study assessed the impact of increasing Cd concentrations (0.125 to 1 g/L) on seed germination and early seedling growth in three bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars: Achtar, Lina, and Snina. The results revealed a clear dose-dependent inhibitory effect of Cd. Germination percentage (GP) significantly declined with increasing Cd levels, while mean germination time was progressively delayed, particularly at higher concentrations. Vigor index (VI) also showed significant reductions, reflecting compromised seedling establishment. Morphological traits, especially shoot and root lengths, were negatively affected, with root systems exhibiting greater sensitivity. Growth inhibition indices indicated a stronger suppression in roots than in shoots, and tolerance index (TI) values demonstrated clear intervarietal differences, with Achtar displaying the highest tolerance and Lina the greatest susceptibility. Pearson correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships among GP, VI, TI, and seedling length, and negative correlations with shoot and root growth inhibition. Principal component analysis further supported these patterns, effectively separating cultivar responses across treatments. Overall, this study highlights the phytotoxic effects of Cd on early wheat development and underscores the role of genetic variability in determining cultivar tolerance to heavy metal stress.

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Keywords

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