The effect of zinc application on growth and alleviating shoot concentration of cadmium in durum wheat plant growth under conditions of salt and cadmium stress

Abstract

A study was conducted in a greenhouse to investigate the effect of the combination of cadmium (Cd) and salinity (NaCl) stress in zinc (Zn) deficiency on growth, Cd accumulation in durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. durum, cv. Balcali-2000), and micro (Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn) minerals differing in salt tolerance. The negative effects of Cd and NaCl stress on plant growth and Cd accumulation detected to alleviate Cd uptake on wheat growth increasing zinc application. The results revealed that Cd, NaCl and their combined stresses reduced shoots dry matter and Cd concentration in shoots increased compared to control pots. In increasing Cd and NaCl treatments, increasing Zn application significantly decreased the Cd concentration in shoot. In particularly, the decrease in Cd concentration was more noticeable with the improvement of Zn nutrition of plants at low doses of NaCl and Cd. The effect of increasing zinc treatments on reducing Cd accumulation decreased to slightly at high doses of Cd and NaCl. According to the results it can be suggested that Zn application to soils with low Cd content and medium salinity can be reduce Cd uptake by durum wheat.