Lead and cadmium toxicity effects on the Pinus roxburghii seed germination and early seedling growth in different environments
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 Pinus roxburghii, we tested lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) at multiple concentrations ranging from 30–180 mg/...
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PeerJ Inc.
2025-08-01
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| author | Shabana Bibi Tour Jan Nasrullah Khan Muhammad Wahab Mohammad K. Okla Bandar M. Almunqedhi Ibrahim A. Saleh Yasmeen A. Alwasel Saud Alamri Hayat Ullah Mostafa A. Abdel-Maksoud |
| author_facet | Shabana Bibi Tour Jan Nasrullah Khan Muhammad Wahab Mohammad K. Okla Bandar M. Almunqedhi Ibrahim A. Saleh Yasmeen A. Alwasel Saud Alamri Hayat Ullah Mostafa A. Abdel-Maksoud |
| author_sort | Shabana Bibi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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 Pinus roxburghii, 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 P. roxburghii 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0efeffe0a5074df2bc8b3d8f1b74681b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
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| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj-art-0efeffe0a5074df2bc8b3d8f1b74681b2025-08-20T03:59:36ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592025-08-0113e1959310.7717/peerj.19593Lead and cadmium toxicity effects on the Pinus roxburghii seed germination and early seedling growth in different environmentsShabana Bibi0Tour Jan1Nasrullah Khan2Muhammad Wahab3Mohammad K. Okla4Bandar M. Almunqedhi5Ibrahim A. Saleh6Yasmeen A. Alwasel7Saud Alamri8Hayat Ullah9Mostafa A. Abdel-Maksoud10Department of Botany, University of Malakand, Chakdara, PakistanDepartment of Botany, University of Malakand, Chakdara, PakistanDepartment of Botany, University of Malakand, Chakdara, PakistanDepartment of Botany, Women University Swabi, Swabi, PakistanDepartment of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Zarqa University, Zarqa, JordanDepartment of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Botany, University of Malakand, Chakdara, PakistanDepartment of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaHeavy 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 Pinus roxburghii, 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 P. roxburghii 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.https://peerj.com/articles/19593.pdfPinus roxgburghiiGerminationSeedling growthOrganic osmolytesHeavy metals tolerance |
| spellingShingle | Shabana Bibi Tour Jan Nasrullah Khan Muhammad Wahab Mohammad K. Okla Bandar M. Almunqedhi Ibrahim A. Saleh Yasmeen A. Alwasel Saud Alamri Hayat Ullah Mostafa A. Abdel-Maksoud Lead and cadmium toxicity effects on the Pinus roxburghii seed germination and early seedling growth in different environments PeerJ Pinus roxgburghii Germination Seedling growth Organic osmolytes Heavy metals tolerance |
| title | Lead and cadmium toxicity effects on the Pinus roxburghii seed germination and early seedling growth in different environments |
| title_full | Lead and cadmium toxicity effects on the Pinus roxburghii seed germination and early seedling growth in different environments |
| title_fullStr | Lead and cadmium toxicity effects on the Pinus roxburghii seed germination and early seedling growth in different environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lead and cadmium toxicity effects on the Pinus roxburghii seed germination and early seedling growth in different environments |
| title_short | Lead and cadmium toxicity effects on the Pinus roxburghii seed germination and early seedling growth in different environments |
| title_sort | lead and cadmium toxicity effects on the pinus roxburghii seed germination and early seedling growth in different environments |
| topic | Pinus roxgburghii Germination Seedling growth Organic osmolytes Heavy metals tolerance |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/19593.pdf |
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