Photosynthesis and growth responses of pea Pisum sativum L. under heavy metals stress

The present work aimed to study the physiological e ects of cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) in pea (Pisum sativum). Pea plants were exposed to increasing doses of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) and copper chloride (CuCl2) for 20 d. The examined parameters, namely root and shoot lengths, the concentration of photosynthetic pigments and the rate of photosynthesis were a ected by the treatments especially with high metals concentrations. The analysis of heavy metals accumulation shows that leaves significantly accumulate cadmium for all the tested concentrations. However, copper was significantly accumulated only with the highest tested dose. This may explain the higher inhibitory e ects of cadmium on photosynthesis and growth in pea plants. These results are valuable for understanding the biological consequences of heavy metals contamination particularly in soils devoted to organic agriculture.