Abstract
Transfer of cadmium (Cd) through food crops have become a sturdy plight globally, due to increasing Cd pollution in
agricultural soils. The Cd accumulation in food crops is not only quandary for food safety but also a prominent threat to
agricultural productivity due to its severe biological toxicity which hinders plant growth and physiology by affecting nutrient
homeostasis. Thus, a hydroponic experiment was executed to investigate the various levels of Cd on growth, physiology,
mineral nutrients and Cd accumulation in different tissues of rice and wheat plants. The plant’s seedlings grown from acid
washed seed in sand culture were shifted to foam plugged holes in a polystyrene sheet floating on plastic tubs (8 L) containing
Hoagland’s
solution. Four Cd levels (0, 5, 10 and 15 µM) with four replicates were applied after seven days of transplantation
and harvested after twenty days of Cd application. The results explained that increasing levels of Cd resulted in severe toxicity
and declined the physiological performance and growth of plants. Similarly, Cd uptake by roots of wheat and rice was increased
up to 42 and 304 µg pot-1
respectively in Cd containing rooting solution. Compare to control, the 15 µM Cd treatment decreased
the copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) contents by 6-61%, 6-41% and 6-17% in wheat and 18-39%, 6-29% and 4-
32% in rice, respectively. Interestingly, root iron (Fe) contents in wheat were increased up to 28% at 10 µM Cd level while
rice (both root and shoot) Fe contents were reduced at 10 and 15 µM Cd stress.
