Effects of cadmium on growth and pharmacologically active constituents of the medicinal plant Coriandrum sativum L.

The effects of high levels of cadmium in soil and in the atmosphere on the plants of Coriandrum sativum L. (Umbellifereae) were investigated. Plants grown in contaminated soil (0, 10, 100 ppm of cadmium) showed a significant reduction in the length of the stems and roots and the number of the umbels, a yellowing and ultrastructural alterations of the leaves and a significant decrease in the essential oil composition. Similar effects were observed in the plants exposed to a simulated atmospheric pollution (plants were sprayed with CdCl₂ solutions containing Cd 0, 10, 100 mg/L). The effects are related to a degree of environmental contamination.