Alleviation of cadmium toxicity by mercapto-triazole priming in wheat

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cadmium happens to interfere with chlorophyll synthesis, calvin cycle and phosphate pathway and the resulting changes in biochemical attributes induce disorders in physiology, biochemistry and genetics of the germinating plants. Its hazardous effects disturb the phenolic contents, sugars, soluble proteins and activities of antioxidant enzymes. We employed mercapto-triazoles as wheat seed priming agents and evaluated their potential to alleviate the negative impact of cadmium stress (5 µM) on biochemical attributes in germinating seedlings. For priming, 10, 20, 30 and 40 mg L−1 solution of each triazolic compound was used and the germination was carried out under normal and Cd stress conditions. Biochemical attributes including sugars, protein contents, total phenolic, total oxidant status, hydrolytic enzymes and antioxidant enzymes were studied under both conditions and compared with control. Almost all triazolic-priming significantly alleviated the deleterious impacts of cadmium and improved protein contents, SOD, POD, and esterase activities with a significant reduction in MDA contents. The decrease in MDA along with the increase in above-said biochemical attributes in wheat seedlings suggests the mitigating effects of tested triazoles against cadmium stress.