Differential seedling responses of chickpea varieties to hexavalent chromium (VI) stress under controlled conditions

Muhammad Hammad, Afifa Kainat Rani, Laraib Chouhdary, Muhammad Kabir, Patricio R De los Rios-Escalante and Muhammad Aslam

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Hexavalent chromium (Cr VI) contamination infiltration in soil due to industrial activities has become a sever threat to Pakistan’s agricultural productivity. Recent surveys report soil chromium concentrations in agricultural–industrial interfaces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reaching 100 mg/kg, exceeding the WHO permissible limit (1.5 mg/kg) by more than 50-fold. Chickpea, a widely cultivated crop in Pakistan also faces productivity threats from Cr (VI). This study evaluates the differential seedling responses of two Pakistani chickpea varieties (CM-72 and CM-98) to hexavalent chromium stress (0µM to 100µM) under controlled conditions to address a critical research gap. A fully randomized experimental design (CRD) with five replicates per treatment was utilized, assessing germination metrics, root and shoot lengths, root collar diameter, and biomass over a period of 14 days. Statistical evaluations (ANOVA, Pearson correlation, PCA) indicated substantial varietal differences. Both varieties showed significant (p

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0341546

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0341546

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