Table 4.
Effects of different drought stress induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) treatments on the parameters for fine (0–1.0 mm) and thick (>1 mm) roots of XM (high-grain Cadmium (Cd)-accumulating genotype) and YM (low-grain Cd-accumulating genotype) under 100 µmol L−1 of Cd stress.
| Treatment | Root Length (cm) | Root Surface Area (cm2) | Root Volume (cm3) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1.0 mm | >1.0 mm | 0–1.0 mm | >1.0 mm | 0–1.0 mm | >1.0 mm | |
| Cd-only XM | 1412.825 ± 51.919 a | 1.071 ± 0.130 a | 85.606 ± 7.268 a | 0.355 ± 0.019 b | 0.658 ± 0.061 bc | 0.010 ± 0.000 b |
| Cd-only YM | 1082.320 ± 44.730 c | 0.331 ± 0.029 e | 74.998 ± 9.993 abc | 0.125 ± 0.005 d | 0.566 ± 0.077 d | 0.003 ± 0.000 d |
| Cd + 5% PEG-6000-XM | 1221.233 ± 17.085 b | 1.221 ± 0.158 a | 85.458 ± 1.992 a | 0.420 ± 0.035 a | 0.693 ± 0.018 ab | 0.012 ± 0.002 a |
| Cd + 5% PEG-6000-YM | 1190.430 ± 68.234 b | 0.896 ± 0.093 b | 84.309 ± 15.621 ab | 0.337 ± 0.002 b | 0.742 ± 0.026 a | 0.010 ± 0.001 b |
| Cd + 10% PEG-6000-XM | 1179.531 ± 30.926 b | 0.530 ± 0.053 cd | 78.705 ± 0.187 abc | 0.148 ± 0.011 d | 0.603 ± 0.005 cd | 0.005 ± 0.001 c |
| Cd + 10% PEG-6000-YM | 1076.758 ± 65.526 c | 0.379 ± 0.045 de | 67.237 ± 4.917 bc | 0.133 ± 0.011 d | 0.469 ± 0.044 e | 0.003 ± 0.000 d |
| Cd + 15% PEG-6000-XM | 1145.318 ± 43.325 bc | 0.546 ± 0.077 c | 80.233 ± 14.556 abc | 0.193 ± 0.009 c | 0.563 ± 0.021 d | 0.006 ± 0.001 c |
| Cd + 15% PEG-6000-YM | 982.864 ± 35.210 d | 0.037 ± 0.003 f | 64.543 ± 2.559 c | 0.012 ± 0.001 e | 0.467 ± 0.035 e | 0.000 ± 0.000 e |
| Significance based on two-way ANOVA (p-value) | ||||||
| Varieties | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.017 | 0.000 | 0.001 | 0.000 |
| Stress Level | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.080 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Varieties * Stress Level | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.564 | 0.000 | 0.009 | 0.000 |
The different letters indicate significant differences at p < 0.05 according to a least significant difference (LSD) test. * means the interaction between Varieties and Stress level.