Effect of heavy metals on germination and growth of Cucumis sativus

Germination and growth tests of Cucumis sativus have been carried out in the presence of increasing Pb, Ni and Cu concentrations. Low metals concentrations (0.00-0.064 mM) exerted a positive effect on plant growth: in particular, Cu showed a stimulating effect at high (0.64 mM) concentrations, probably due to its own characteristic of essential metal. Finally, the metals bioaccumulation data into the seeds pointed out the toxicity level for tested metals.