Abstract <p>Barium is considered nonessential for living organisms and is known to be toxic for plants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how barium (Ba) affected the growth of wheat plants (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) grown in nutrient solutions. Barium chloride dihydrate with varying concentrations of Ba (0.1, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 μg/g) was used. Growth parameters such as plant length, fresh and dry weight of the roots and shoots, root-shoot ratio, stress markers such as MDA content, electrolyte leakage, tolerance index, and antioxidative enzymes like catalase, peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, glutathione reductase, and dehydroascorbate reductase were assessed. The findings showed that lower doses of Ba (≤10 μg/g) promoted growth and biomass output, decreased electrolyte leakage, and antioxidative enzyme activity in wheat. Higher Ba concentrations significantly increased electrolyte leakage, but reduced fresh and dry weights, root and shoot length in wheat plants. The activity of antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, guaiacol peroxidase) increased at higher Ba concentrations (100 and 1000 μg/g). Overall, Ba differentially influenced the growth and physiology of <i>Triticum aestivum</i>. It is evident from the results that Ba can stimulate growth and enhance antioxidant attributes in wheat at specific doses. This study reveals the beneficial effects of Ba and identifies a threshold concentration for its positive impact on the growth and physiology of wheat, demonstrating its potential for enhancing plant development over 30 days.</p>