Cadmium induced genotoxicity and antioxidative defense system in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) genotype

Induced mutagenesis is considered a coherent mechanism in crop improvement programmes to produce novel plant varieties. Due to the insufficiency of desired genotypes, plant breeders are supposed to re-associate the gene of interest from the accessible gene pool of the related plant species through hybridization to develop new cultivars with desired traits. The present investigation was performed to evaluate cadmium induced mutagenesis on growth performance, physio-biochemical traits and DNA damage studies in lentil. Growth and morphological parameters exhibited reduction with increasing concentration of cadmium. Maximum devaluation was reported at the highest concentration. Physiological and biochemical traits were also affected by different cadmium concentrations and reduced as concentration increased. Lipid peroxidation activity and antioxidant enzymes increased as mutagenic stress increased caused by cadmium. CAT and SOD concentration was found to increase initially and then decreased gradually at higher cadmium concentrations. SEM analysis of stomatal morphology revealed variation in stomatal shape and size in treated populations. There was a gradual enhancement in the percentage of DNA damage along with variation in morphological traits. The DNA damage was recorded as precocious movement, stray bivalent, laggard, stickiness, disorientation of chromosome, multi-bridge, disturbed polarity and micronuclei. It was concluded that at higher concentrations, cadmium cause DNA damage and these chromosomal alterations causes morpho-physiological and biochemical changes in lentil.