Effect of lead on germination and some morphological and physiological parameters of 10-day-old seedlings of various plant species / Wpływ ołowiu na kiełkowanie i niektóre parametry morfologiczne i fizjologiczne w 10-dniowych siewkach różnych gatunków roślin

Among the heavy metals, lead (Pb) is one of the most common environmental pollutants. This study examines the effect of 1 mM lead nitrate Pb(NO₃)₂ on the germination index, morphological parameters (root length, shoot length, fresh biomass and tolerance index) and physiological parameters (proline, total chlorophyll and carotenoids) in the leaves of 10-day-old seedlings of various species of crop plants under laboratory conditions. All results, when compared to control, showed Pb adversely affecting the morphological and physiological parameters of the test plants. Among the 12 studied plants, three species (pumpkin, rye and wheat) presented high tolerance to Pb compared to the other test plants. The most sensitive to Pb exposure were radish, barley, tomato and alfalfa