Agroecological assessment of changes in cadmium content in spring barley plants under the influence of selenium and silicon

Abstract

A large amount of agricultural land is located in close proximity to the metropolitan areas, it means near industrial enterprises and highways which giving rise the inevitable soil pollution by heavy metals, the most toxic of them are cadmium, mercury and lead. The plant products harvested from such areas are most frequently contains heavy metals which make them unsuitable for human or animal consumption. Studies have shown that pre-sowing treatment of spring barley seeds by selenium and silicon allows to mitigate the negative impact of abiotic stresses on plant growth and development, deliver the crop yield level, laid down by crop biology under these conditions - 3,7-3,9 t/ha. Moreover, this agricultural method reduces the level of cadmium accumulation in the finished products (grain) on 11-12% when growing of spring barley on soils with high concentration of cadmium.

Keywords

• heavy metals
• cadmium
• selenium
• silicon
• spring barley
• soil pollution
• anthropogenic load
• yield