Effects of Cadmium Stress on Seed Germination and Activities of Antioxidative Enzymes of Melon

The differences in seed germination, seedling growth and antioxidative enzymes in cotyledon of melon were studied under different concentrations of CdCl₂ (0, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 120, 200, 300 umol/L). The results showed that the lower concentration(0–10 umol/L) of CdCl₂ solutions could promote seed germination, while the higher concentration of CdCl₂ solutions decreased seed germination significantly. In addition, they also suggested that SOD, POD, CAT in seed germination cooperated with each other under a certain concentration of cadmium treatment, which could effectively remove the reactive oxygen species (ROS), reduce plasma membrane injury, and increase the resistance to Cd. Therefore, melon could grow in pollution environment with lower concentration of cadmium. This study has a wide application in soil remediation.