Phytoremediation of Cadmium and Evaluation of Hemin-induced Tolerance Mechanism in Sorghum bicolor (L.): An Important Millet Crop of Indian Thar Desert

The current investigation assessed the impact of external hemin on cadmium (Cd)-induced toxicity regarding metal accumulation and stress tolerance in Sorghum bicolor. Two-week-old S. bicolor seedlings were treated at concentrations of 10 ?M Cd, 75 ?M Cd, 150 ?M Cd, and 1 ?M hemin individually as well as in collection with hemin within a Hoagland medium. After 120 h, the subjected plants were collected for the study of cellular homeostasis and metal tolerance mechanisms, involving the examination of growth and stress parameters as well as non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants. However, augmentation of hemin under Cd-induced stress environments ameliorated plant development by augmenting biomass and chlorophyll pigments. This augmentation also encouraged antioxidant activities, including ascorbate peroxidase and guaiacol peroxidase levels, while simultaneously mitigating oxidative impairment and enhancing Cd tolerance in plants. Moreover, the utilization of hemin improves the efficacy of S. bicolor in Cd removal by enhancing the uptake of Cd. Hence, the investigation proposes that hemin holds promise for improving the Cd tolerance and accumulation capabilities of Cd-tolerant plants..