Assessment of changes in the accumulation of cadmium and aluminum in pea plants under the influence of selenium and silicon in the early phase of vegetation

A large number of agricultural lands are located in close proximity to large cities, and therefore industrial enterprises and highways, which leads to inevitable soil contamination with heavy metals, of which cadmium is the most toxic. Also, due to a decrease in the rate of liming and the use of mineral fertilizers, aluminum ions accumulate in acidic soils. Currently, a search is underway among various plant species that exhibit resistance to the effects of toxicants and are capable of their gradual removal (phytoextraction) from the environment. Representatives from the legume family ( Fabaceae ) can be considered as potential candidates along with Cereals ( Poáceae ) and Brassicas ( Brassicáceae ). Studies conducted in this work with different tolerant genotypes of common pea (the wild sensitive line SGE, and the resistant mutant SGECDt created on its basis) showed that pre-sowing treatment of seeds with microelements in the form of selenium and silicon had a different effect on the selected genotypes. Silicon had a more pronounced stress-protective effect, stimulating the growth of both species. However, in some variants it reduced the degree of removal and fixation of toxicants in biomass, which is not suitable for use in phytoextraction technology. Selenium, on the contrary, further inhibited yield, but promoted greater accumulation of aluminum in shoots. The bimetallic type of pollution manifested itself in a decrease in the accumulation of toxicants in biomass in both genotypes by an average of 14.0%, compared with the monoelement type. Treatment with selenium and silicon here generally did not change the picture we observed in comparison with the monoelement type of pollution.