Effect of Cadmium and Lead Stress on the Vigor Index of Astragalus armatus Willd Seeds

Contamination by heavy metals stands as a prominent environmental issue. Phytoremediation emerges as an ecological approach to tackle this problem by harnessing the potential of metal-tolerant plants to accumulate and translocate heavy metals. In this study, seeds of Astragalus armatus Willd were subjected to various concentrations of Cd (0.002, 0.005, 0.007, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 g/L) and Pb (0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1, 2, 3 g/L) to investigate their impact on germination. The experiments were meticulously carried out over duration of 10 days within tightly controlled laboratory conditions. Key germination parameters assessed included germination kinetics, germination percentage (GC%), shoot and root length, as well as vigor index (VI). The results unequivocally demonstrate a significant influence of heavy metals on the examined parameters. Notably, Astragalus armatus seeds exhibited the ability to germinate even in the presence of 1 g/L of Pb and 0.1 g/L of Cd, thus, indicating the species tolerance at least during the germination phase to heavy metals.