Silicon alleviates cadmium toxicity in wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L.) by reducing cadmium ion uptake and enhancing antioxidative capacity

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic element that poses a great threat to human health, while silicon (Si) is a beneficial element and has been shown to have a mitigation effect on plants under Cd toxicity. However, the mechanisms underlying the role of Si in alleviating Cd toxicity are still poorly understood in wheat. Therefore, growth status, photosynthesis parameters, root morphology, antioxidant system, and Cd²⁺ uptake and flux under Cd toxicity were studied through hydroponic experiment, aiming to explore the mitigation of Si on Cd toxicity in wheat seedlings. The results showed that Si supply improved plant biomass as well as photosynthetic but had little effects on root morphology of seedlings under Cd stress. Si addition decreased Cd contents both in shoots and roots. In situ measurements of Cd²⁺ flux showed that Si significantly inhibited the net Cd²⁺ influx in roots of wheat. Si also mitigated the oxidative stress in wheat leaves by decreasing malondialdialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) contents as well as by increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD) and guaiacol peroxidase (POD) activity. Overall, the results revealed that Si could alleviate Cd toxicity in wheat seedlings by improving plant growth and antioxidant capacity and by decreasing Cd uptake and lipid peroxidation.

Keywords: Antioxidant defense; Cadmium; Oxidative stress; Scanning ion-selective electrode technique; Silicon; Wheat.