Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Yasouj University, Yasouj,, Iran.
2
Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran.
3
Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran.
10.22091/ethc.2025.12820.1057
Abstract
Objective: Nowadays, heavy metal pollution in soils, as a major environmental problem, affects human health, living organisms and the ecosystem. Although the heavy metal cadmium is not an essential element for plant growth, it is easily absorbed by plants and causes toxicity. The resistance and sensitivity of plants to cadmium varies depending on the plant species. Malva sylvestris L. is a valuable medicinal plant that is used in traditional Iranian medicine to treat many diseases and grows in a wide range of habitats with the possibility of cadmium contamination. In this study, responses of the plant to cadmium stress in the early stages of growth were investigated.
Methods: In this study, seed germination and vigor of three seed populations of Malva sylvestris were studied under 0, 5, 10, 20, and 40 mg/L cadmium levels, in filter paper substrate, in a completely randomized design.
Results: Cadmium treatment reduced germination traits including seedling length, seed vigor index, seed germination rate and seed germination percentage of Malva sylvestris. The effect of population was significant only on percentage and rate of seed germination and fresh weight of the plant.
Conclusion: The results indicated that cadmium treatment significantly reduced seed germination and early growth indices, suggesting that Malva sylvestris L. lacks resistance to cadmium during the early stages of establishment.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)