Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Modulation of growth and key physiobiochemical attributes after foliar application of zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under cadmium (Cd) stress

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A pot experiment was conducted to examine the effect of foliar application of various levels of ZnSO4 on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under cadmium (Cd) stress. Seeds of two wheat varieties i.e., Ujala-2016 and Anaj-2017 were sown in sand filled plastic pots. Cadmium (CdCl2) stress i.e., 0 and 0.5 mM CdCl2 was applied in full strength Hoagland’s nutrient solution after 4 weeks of seed germination. Foliar spray of varying ZnSO4 levels i.e., 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 mM was applied after 2 weeks of CdCl2 stress induction (of 6 week old plants). After 3 weeks of foliar treatment leaf samples of 9 week old wheat plants were collected for the determination of changes in various growth and physiobiochemical attributes. Results obtained showed that cadmium stress (0.5 mM CdCl2) significantly decreased shoot and root fresh and dry weights, shoot and root lengths, yield attributes, chlorophyll a contents and total phenolics, while increased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), total soluble proteins, free proline, glycinebetaine (GB) contents, and activities of antioxidant enzymes i.e., catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and peroxidase (POD). Foliar application of varying ZnSO4 levels significantly increased various growth attributes, chlorophyll b contents, H2O2, free proline, GB and activities of antioxidant enzymes i.e., CAT, POD and APX, while decreased relative water contents and total phenolics under Cd stress or non stress conditions. Furthermore, both wheat varieties showed differential response under Cd stress and towards foliar application of ZnSO4 e.g., wheat var. Ujala-2016 was higher in shoot dry weight, root length, root fresh and dry weights, total leaf area per plant, 100 grains weight, number of tillers per plant, chlorophyll b, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), activities of APX, POD, glycinebetaine and leaf free proline contents, while var. Anaj-2017 exhibited high shoot fresh weight, grain yield per plant, no. of grains per plant, chlorophyll contents, chlorophyll a/b ratio, total phenolics, MDA and total soluble protein contents under cadmium stress or non stress conditions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbas MS, Akmal M, Ullah S, Hassan MU, Farooq S (2017) Effectiveness of zinc and gypsum application against cadmium toxicity and accumulation in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Commun Soil Sci Plan 48(14):1659–1668

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Akhtar T, Zia-ur-Rehman M, Naeem A, Nawaz R, Ali S, Murtaza G, Maqsood MA, Azhar M, Khalid H, Rizwan M (2017) Photosynthesis and growth response of maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids exposed to cadmium stress. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24(6):5521–5529

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Qurainy F, Khan S, Tarroum M, Nadeem M, Alansi S, Alshameri A (2017) Biochemical and genetical responses of Phoenix dactylifera L. to cadmium stress. Biomed Res Int. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/9504057

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Arnon DI (1949) Copper enzymes in isolated chloroplasts. Polyphenoloxidase in Beta vulgaris. Plant physiol 24:1–15

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ashraf MY, Roohi M, Iqbal Z, Ashraf M, Ozturk M, Gucel S (2016) Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) induced changes in growth, some biochemical attributes, and mineral accumulation in two cultivars of mung bean [Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek]. Commun Soil Sci Plant 47(4):405–413

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bates LS, Waldren RP, Teare ID (1973) Rapid determination of free proline for water-stress studies. Plant Soil 39:205–207

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bradford MM (1976) A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem 72:248–254

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cakmak I, Strbac D, Marschner H (1993) Activities of hydrogen peroxide scavenging enzymes in germinated wheat seeds. J Exp Bot 44:127–132

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carmak I, Horst JH (1991) Effects of aluminum on lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase activities in root tips of soybean (Glycine max). Plant Physiol 83:463–468

    Google Scholar 

  • Chance B, Maehly AC (1955) Assay of catalases and peroxidases. Meth Enzymol 2:764–775

    Google Scholar 

  • Fasahat P (2015) Recent progress in understanding cadmium toxicity and tolerance in rice. Emir J Food Agr 94–105

  • Ghosh R, Roy S (2019) Cadmium toxicity in plants: unveiling the physicochemical and molecular aspects. In: Cadmium tolerance in plants. Academic Press, pp 223–246

  • Gomez-Coronado F, Poblaciones MJ, Almeida AS, Cakmak I (2016) Zinc (Zn) concentration of bread wheat grown under Mediterranean conditions as affected by genotype and soil/foliar Zn application. Plant Soil 401:331–346

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grieve CM, Grattan SR (1983) Rapid assay for determination of water soluble quaternary ammonium compounds. Plant Soil 70:303–307

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guo H, Hong C, Chen X, Xu Y, Liu Y, Jiang D, Zheng B (2016) Different growth and physiological responses to cadmium of the three Miscanthus species. PLoS ONE 11(4):e0153475

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Guo G, Lei M, Wang Y, Song B, Yang J (2018) Accumulation of As, Cd, and Pb in sixteen wheat cultivars grown in contaminated soils and associated health risk assessment. Int J Environ Res Public Health 15:2601

    CAS  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Haider MU, Farooq M, Nawaz A, Hussain M (2018) Foliage applied zinc ensures better growth, yield and grain biofortification of mungbean. Int J Agric Biol 37(2):123–128

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hashem HA (2014) Cadmium toxicity induces lipid peroxidation and alters cytokinin content and antioxidant enzyme activities in soybean. Botany 92(1):1–7

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hatamian M, Nejad AR, Kafi M, Souri MK, Shahbazi K (2020) Nitrate improves hackberry seedling growth under cadmium application. Heliyon 6(1):e03247

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hirzel J, Retamal-Salgado J, Walter I, Matus I (2017) Cadmium accumulation and distribution in plants of three durum wheat cultivars under different agricultural environments in Chile. J Soil Water Conserv 72:77–88

    Google Scholar 

  • Hussain I, Ashraf MA, Rasheed R, Asghar A, Sajid MA, Iqbal M (2015) Exogenous application of silicon at the boot stage decreases accumulation of cadmium in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grains. Braz J Bot 38:223–234

    Google Scholar 

  • Hussain A, Ali S, Rizwan M, Rehman MZU, Javed MR, Imran M, Chatha SAS, Nazir R (2018) Zinc oxide nanoparticles alter the wheat physiological response and reduce the cadmium uptake by plants. Environ Pollut 242:1518–1526

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ibrahim MH, Chee Kong Y, Zain M, Amalina N (2017) Effect of cadmium and copper exposure on growth, secondary metabolites and antioxidant activity in the medicinal plant Sambung Nyawa (Gynura procumbens (Lour.) Merr). Molecules 22(10):1623

    PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Jiao Y, Grant CA, Bailey L (2020) Effects of phosphorus and zinc fertilizer on cadmium uptake and distribution in flax and durum wheat. J Sci Food Agric 84:777–785

    Google Scholar 

  • Julkenen-Titto R (1985) Phenolic constituents in the leaves of northern willows: methods for the analysis of certain phenolics. J Agr Food Chem 33:213–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapoor D, Bhardwaj R (2020) Cadmium stress responses in Brassica juncea L. plants through histochemical and qualitative approaches. Plant Cell Biotech Mol Biol 21(3–4):61–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Krivosheeva A, Tao DL, Ottander C, Wingsle G, Dube SL, Quist G (1996) Cold acclimation and photoinhibition of photosynthesis in Scots pine. Planta 200:296–305

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li H, Liu X, Wassie M, Chen L (2020) Selenium supplementation alleviates cadmium-induced damages in tall fescue through modulating antioxidant system, photosynthesis efficiency, and gene expression. Environ Sci Pollut Res 1–13

  • Ling T, Gao Q, Du H, Zhao Q, Ren J (2017) Growing, physiological responses and Cd uptake of corn (Zea mays L.) under different Cd supply. Che Spec Bioavailab 29(1):216–221

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu LT, Sun HC, Chen J, Zhang YJ, Wang XD, Li DX, Li CD (2016) Cotton seedling plants adapted to cadmium stress by enhanced activities of protective enzymes. Plant Soil Environ 62(2):80–85

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loi NN, Sanzharova NI, Shchagina NI, Mironova MP (2018) The effect of cadmium toxicity on the development of Lettuce plants on contaminated sod-podzolic soil. Russ Agric Sci 44(1):49–52

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu M, Cao X, Pan J, Li T, Khan MB, Gurajala HK, He Z, Yang X (2020) Identification of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes for food safety on two different cadmium contaminated soils. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27:7943–7956

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rabelo FHS, Lux A, Rossi ML, Martinelli AP, Cuypers A, Lavres J (2018) Adequate S supply reduces the damage of high Cd exposure in roots and increases N, S and Mn uptake by Massai grass grown in hydroponics. Environ exp 148:35–46

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rai PK, Lee SS, Zhang M, Tsang YF, Kim KH (2019) Heavy metals in food crops: health risks, fate, mechanisms, and management. Environ Int 125:365–385

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rehman MZU, Khalid H, Akmal F, Ali S, Rizwan M, Qayyum MF, Iqbal M, Khalid MU, Azhar M (2017) Effect of limestone, lignite and biochar applied alone and combined on cadmium uptake in wheat and rice under rotation in an effluent irrigated field. Environ Pollut 227:560–568

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rehman MZU, Rizwan M, Hussain A, Saqib M, Ali S, Sohail MI, Shafiq M, Hafeez F (2018) Alleviation of cadmium (Cd) toxicity and minimizing its uptake in wheat (Triticum aestivum) by using organic carbon sources in Cd-spiked soil. Environ Pollut 241:557–565

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rehman MZU, Zafar M, Waris AA, Rizwan M, Ali S, Sabir M, Usman M, Ayub MA, Ahmad Z (2020) Residual effects of frequently available organic amendments on cadmium bioavailability and accumulation in wheat. Chemosphere 244:125548

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Saifullah A, Javed H, Naeem A, Rengel Z, Dahlawi S (2016) Timing of foliar Zn application plays a vital role in minimizing Cd accumulation in wheat. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 23:16432–16439

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sazawal S, Dhingra U, Dhingra P, Dutta A, Deb S, Kumar J, Devi P, Prakash A (2018) Efficacy of high zinc biofortified wheat in improvement of micronutrient status, and prevention of morbidity among preschool children and women—a double masked, randomized, controlled trial. Nutr J 17:86

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Snedecor GW, Cochran GW (1980) Statistical methods, 7th edn. The Lowa State University Press, Ames

    Google Scholar 

  • Sobolewska M, Wenda-Piesik A, Jaroszewska A, Stankowski S (2020) Effect of habitat and foliar fertilization with K, Zn and Mn on winter wheat grain and baking qualities. Agronomy 10:276

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sohail MI, Rehman MZU, Rizwan M, Yousaf B, Ali S, Haq MAU, Anayat A, Waris AA (2020) Efficiency of various silicon rich amendments on growth and cadmium accumulation in field grown cereals and health risk assessment. Chemosphere 244:125481

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Song X, Yue X, Chen W, Jiang H, Han Y, Li X (2019) Detection of cadmium risk to the photosynthetic performance of Hybrid Pennisetum. Front Plant Sci 10:798

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ulusu Y, Ozturk L, Elmastaş M (2017) Antioxidant capacity and cadmium accumulation in parsley seedlings exposed to cadmium stress. Russ J Plant Physiol 64(6):883–888

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vatehova Z, Malovikova A, Kollarova K, Kucerova D, Liskova D (2016) Impact of cadmium stress on two maize hybrids. Plant Physiol Biochem 108:90–98

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Velikova V, Yordanov I, Edreva A (2000) Oxidative stress and some antioxidant systems in acid rain-treated bean plants: protective role of exogenous polyamines. Plant Sci 151:59–66

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang S, Zhao Y, Guo J, Zhou L (2016) Effects of Cd, Cu and Zn on Ricinus communis L. growth in single element or cocontaminated soils: pot experiments. Ecol Eng 90:347–351

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu C, Dun Y, Zhang Z, Li M, Wu G (2020) Foliar application of selenium and zinc to alleviate wheat (Triticum aestivum L) cadmium toxicity and uptake from cadmium-contaminated soil. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 190:110091

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Xuebin Q, Yatao X, Ahmad MI, Shehzad M, Zain M (2020) Silicon and its application methods improve physiological traits and antioxidants in Triticum aestivum (L.) under cadmium stress. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 1–12

  • Yang Y, Zhang L, Huang X, Zhou Y, Quan Q, Li Y, Zhu X (2020) Response of photosynthesis to different concentrations of heavy metals in Davidia involucrata. PLoS ONE 15(3):e0228563

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research article is extracted from thesis of M.Phil. study of Mr. Muhammad Tariq Javed working under the supervision of Dr. Shagufta Perveen.

Funding

All authors contributed equally in the writing of manuscript. Dr. SP designed the experiment and written the manuscript, while MTJ performed the experiment. Furthermore, Dr. MS, AP, SZ and NI did proofreading of the final manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan

    Shagufta Perveen, Muhammad Saeed, Abida Parveen, Muhammad Tariq Javed, Sara Zafar & Naeem Iqbal

Authors
  1. Shagufta Perveen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Muhammad Saeed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Abida Parveen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Muhammad Tariq Javed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Sara Zafar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Naeem Iqbal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shagufta Perveen.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Perveen, S., Saeed, M., Parveen, A. et al. Modulation of growth and key physiobiochemical attributes after foliar application of zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under cadmium (Cd) stress. Physiol Mol Biol Plants 26, 1787–1797 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-020-00861-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-020-00861-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation