Comparative Study on the Zinc and Cadmium Tolerance Potential of Twelve Prominent Rice Cultivars

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution being a potential threat to agriculture raising rice cultivars with heavy metal tolerance is a promising strategy for remediation of heavy metal polluted agricultural lands. We present here a comprehensive study describing the differences in physiological and biochemical responses of 12 prominent high-yielding rice cultivars to increasing ZnSO4 concentrations (0, 2, 6, and 10 mM) and CdCl2 concentrations (0, 1, 2, and 3 mM). Even though Zinc (Zn) is an essential element required for the normal growth and development process of plants, a higher concentration of Zn has an antagonistic effect. Cadmium (Cd) is detrimental to plants and is found in soils contaminated with heavy metals. The effects of Zn and Cd on rice seedlings were a reduction in shoot length, greater chlorophyll and carotenoid loss, higher malondialdehyde content, proline accumulation, and an increased level of sugar and amino acids when treated with CdCl2 and ZnSO4. The CdCl2 and ZnSO4 stress-induced biochemical changes displayed major differences in the 12 rice cultivars in terms of tolerance to Zn and Cd toxicity. Our data provides evidence that the cultivar Varsha showed the highest tolerance and cultivar JY showed the least tolerance towards Cd and Zn toxicity.