Chromium (Cr), a heavy metal, is used in industries like electroplating and steel making. The hexavalent (Cr+6) form of Cr is highly toxic to living organisms. The symbiotic association of plant with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) plays a vital role in protecting the plants environmental stress. AMF forms the mutualistic relationship with 80% of vascular plants which has evolved as an adaptive mechanism to enhance the plants’ ability to protect themselves from adverse environmental conditions. In the present study, Cicer arietinum (chickpea) was grown hydroponically to different concentrations of Cr+6 (0, 20, 40 and 60 μM) and without or with AMF Claroideoglomus claroideum inoculation. After 30 days of growth, morphological and biochemical parameters were assessed which showed increasing level of Cr+6 adversely affected the growth and biochemical parameters of C. arietinum. The mycorrhiza-inoculated (M) plants exhibit enhanced growth and higher biomass compared to non-inoculated plants (NM). Biochemical parameters such as photosynthetic pigments, protein, carbohydrate content and catalase activity were higher in M plants than NM plants. However, amino acid and proline content were highest in NM plants compared to M plants. The findings suggest the effectiveness of the Claroideoglomus claroideum in mitigating Cr+6 stresses in C. arietinum, emphasizing the potential of AMF in amelioration of Cr+6 stress.
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