Organic Amendments Improved Wheat Growth in Cd-Contaminated Soil

Using organic amendments proposes a cost-effective solution to reduce cadmium mobility and uptake by plants under polluted soil. Various organic amendments namely peanut shell (PN), sunflower shell (SF), walnut shell (WL) and peas peels (PS) once at a rate of 10% was applied to investigate whether and how plant growth of wheat was affected when growing in Cd contaminated soil. This effect was evaluated through germination, growth and physiological parameters. The results showed that Cd significantly decreased speed germination (p < 0.05), total plant weight (p < 0.001), membrane stability index (p < 0.05), leaf area and shoot length (p < 0.001). However, application of organic amendments attenuate the negative effects of the Cd by improving germination speed, total weight, membrane stability, leaf area, plant length, number of roots, relative water content, total chlorophyll content, proteins, proline and soluble sugar content in roots. Overall, the application of SF or WL was more efficient in decreasing Cd effect in leaf and roots of wheat as compared to other organic amendments.