Ameliorative Effect of Water Treatment Residual Nanoparticles on Seed Germination of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) under Cd Stress

Abstract

The effects of water treatment residual nanoparticles (nWTRs) on germination performance of cucumber seeds exposed to Cd stress were investigated. The results indicated that germination percentages of unprimed seeds which exposed to Cd stress of 10 and 100 (mg/l) decreased by 25% compared to control. Seed priming with nWTRs nanoparticles significantly improved germination performance under Cd stress. The highest germination percentage (%) was observed with the nWTRs treatment at concentrations of 250mg/l and higher. The percentage of root length enhancement as a result of nanoparticles applications at rates of 250, 500, 1000 mgl-1 were 215.62 %, 446.87% and 479.7% respectively. Thus, priming with WTR nanoparticles at concentrations higher than 200mgl-1 may have significant beneficial effects on germination performance of Cd stressed cucumber seeds.