ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to investigate the effects of the mixture of cadmium and lead on the germination and growth of Glycine max. The experiment was carried out with four treatments and control with four replicates per treatment. Five (05) seeds were planted per bag in order to carry out germination study. Prior to planting the seed, the soil was treated with Cadmium chloride (CdCl2˙H2O) and Lead nitrate [Pb(NO3)2] in the following proportions; 50mg/kg, 100mg/kg, 150mg/kg and 200mg/kg and laid out on the prepared site in a completely randomized setting. Data for germination percentage were collected from day 3 to day 6 and data for growth parameters (height, number of leaves, number of branches, and stem girth) were collected from 2 weeks after planting (2WAP) to 6 weeks after planting (6WAP). The values recorded for germination in control, 50mg/kg, 100mg/kg, 150mg/kg and 200mg/kg for day six (6) were 84.00±16.73, 75.00±30.00, 95.00±10;00, 70:00±25:82, and 55.00±25.17 percent respectively. There was no significant difference between the various levels of treatment and control in percent germination of Glycine max. However, germination was apparently enhanced in the 100mg/kg treatment. For height of Glycine max, the values of control, 50mg/kg, 100mg/kg, 150mg/kg and 200mg/kg at 6WAP were 34.13±6.01, 32.75±4.03, 34.43±7.18, 25.18±4.29 and 31.00±6.38 cm respectively. There was no significant difference (<0.05) in height of Glycine max observed between the various levels of treatment and control. Similar results were obtained for number of leaves, number of branches, and stem girth. The results on microbial analysis distribution showed that Bacilius cereus 16 was found in all the treatments and control. However, the 150mg/kg and 200mg/kg treatments had less species diversity. Fungal population was adversely affected by heavy metals. For cadmium (cd) and lead (pb) content of the soil and seed samples that were analyzed, values recorded shows that metals present in the soil and seeds increased along the concentration gradient.
