Effect of cadmium on the growth of tomato

The present experiment was conducted to test the effect of cadmium (Cd) on the vegetative and reproductivegrowth of Lycopersicon esculentum cv. Navodaya (tomato). The selected plant species was treated 4 times with10, 20, 30 and 40 μg cadmium. The plant was treated twice at pre-flowering stage at 10 days interval and twice atpost-flowering stage. Almost all selected growth parameters were sensitive to all or at least high doses of Cd. Inthe present study, the total chlorophyll content increased in the plants treated with Cd. The plant biomassdecreased significantly on treatment with higher doses of Cd. The leaf number and leaf area was negativelycorrelated with the concentration of cadmium.