ABSTRACT India produces a significant amount of crops. Heavy metals, especially cadmium, in the soil have a negative impact on the crops. Increased cadmium levels in soil and water are a severe issue on a global scale. Due to its biological half-life and ease of uptake by plants, cadmium (Cd) is undoubtedly a harmful metal to many plant species, affecting a number of metabolic pathways. The current study therefore sought to evaluate the effects of irrigation water with cadmium contamination levels of 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 8.0, and 16.0 ppm on the pea plant. With an increase in cadmium concentration in irrigation water, growth and biomass characteristics (% germination, growth characteristics, shoot-root length, and fresh-dry mass) reduced. As cadmium content increased, there was a reduction in radical length and seed germination (1.0–16.0 ppm). According to the results of our research, irrigation water contaminated with cadmium has a negative impact on pea plants’ photosynthetic, biochemical, and biomass processes as well as their growth and development.

Keywords: Pisum sativum L., growth and development, photosynthetic pigments, cadmium toxicity