Bibi Shabana, Jan Tour, Khan Nasrullah, Wahab Muhammad, Okla Mohammad K, Almunqedhi Bandar M, Saleh Ibrahim A, Alwasel Yasmeen A, Alamri Saud, Ullah Hayat, Abdel-Maksoud Mostafa A
Department of Botany, University of Malakand, Chakdara, Pakistan.
Department of Botany, Women University Swabi, Swabi, Pakistan.
PeerJ. 2025 Aug 6;13:e19593. doi: 10.7717/peerj.19593. eCollection 2025.
Heavy metal toxicity affects germination, seedling growth, and other physiological processes in plants. To assess the toxic effects of heavy metals on the seed germination and seedling growth of , we tested lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) at multiple concentrations ranging from 30-180 mg/L in both heterogeneous and homogeneous environments. The results showed that all seeds germinated regardless of Pb and Cd concentrations and environmental conditions, and the final germination percentage (GP) remained unchanged. Under different Pb and Cd stress levels, the seedlings grown under homogeneous conditions exhibited a higher stress tolerance index (STI) in morphological traits than those grown in heterogeneous environments. Pb and Cd also affected physiological indicators, their various concentrations promoted free proline in both environmental conditions. Sugar content in seedlings grown in heterogeneous environments ranged from 47.82% to 6.52% with Pb and 58.69 to 4.34% with Cd. In seedlings grown in homogenous environments, sugar content ranged from 45.71% to 5.71% with Pb and 37.14 to 2.85% with Cd. Chlorophyll a/b and carotenoids exhibited declining trends, with chlorophyll 'a' declining more than chlorophyll 'b'. This research indicates that can be successfully used for plant restoration. It provides insights into potential hyper-tolerance mechanisms and can be utilized as a potential tree for roadside plantations to alleviate air pollution.
重金属毒性会影响植物的发芽、幼苗生长及其他生理过程。为评估重金属对[植物名称]种子萌发和幼苗生长的毒性效应，我们在非均质和均质环境中测试了浓度范围为30 - 180毫克/升的多种铅（Pb）和镉（Cd）浓度。结果表明，无论Pb和Cd浓度以及环境条件如何，所有种子均能发芽，最终发芽率（GP）保持不变。在不同的Pb和Cd胁迫水平下，均质条件下生长的幼苗在形态特征方面表现出比非均质环境中生长的幼苗更高的胁迫耐受指数（STI）。Pb和Cd也影响生理指标，它们的不同浓度在两种环境条件下均促进了游离脯氨酸的生成。非均质环境中生长的幼苗中，含Pb时糖含量范围为47.82%至6.52%，含Cd时为58.69%至4.34%。在均质环境中生长的幼苗中，含Pb时糖含量范围为45.71%至5.71%，含Cd时为37.14%至2.85%。叶绿素a/b和类胡萝卜素呈下降趋势，叶绿素“a”的下降幅度大于叶绿素“b”。本研究表明，[植物名称]可成功用于植物修复。它为潜在的超耐受机制提供了见解，并且可作为路边种植的潜在树种用于减轻空气污染。
