Seeds of common bean seeds cv. Carioca were germinated in the dark in different concentrations of cadmium (1, 2, 5 and 10 mumol L-1) and collected after 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours with the objective of verifying if theperoxidase activity could be used as a biochemical marker of stress induced by cadmium. Alterations in the peroxidase activity (EC 1.11.1.7) were oberved in the cotyledons as well as in roots, as a function of the exhibition time of seeds in different cadmium concentrations. This enzyme can be used as a stress marker caused by cadmium during bean seed germination as an indicative of possible injure of the seeds by this metal.
Phaseolus vulgaris; peroxidase; cadmium; seeds
