Abstract Durum wheat is commonly used in various food industry industries and cultivated worldwide. A serious problem with the species cultivation is its capability to accumulate cadmium (Cd) in the grains. The aim of this study is to investigate whether antioxidant activity may be used as a marker of Cd tolerance in durum wheat. The experiment involved three durum wheat genotypes/lines differing in salt tolerance. The plant response to Cd was appraised based on the activity of ascorbate–glutathione (AsA–GSH) cycle enzymes, ascorbate-to-dehydroascorbate ratio, reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio (GSH:GSSG), as well as Cd content in the seeds. The highest activity of dehydroascorbate reductase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione reductase was noted in control plants of salt-sensitive cultivar “Tamaroi.” In the presence of Cd, activity of these enzymes was considerably reduced. “Tamaroi” plants demonstrated also the highest Cd content in the grain. In conclusion, we identified the cultivar “Tamaroi” as most susceptible to cadmium, and the level of durum wheat sensitivity to the element can be evaluated based on a significant decrease in the activity of AsA–GSH cycle enzymes and GSH:GSSG ratio.

中文翻译：

---

抗氧化活性对三种不同耐盐性的硬粒小麦基因型镉污染的反应

摘要 硬粒小麦广泛用于各种食品工业，并在世界范围内广泛种植。物种栽培的一个严重问题是其在谷物中积累镉 (Cd) 的能力。本研究的目的是研究抗氧化活性是否可用作硬粒小麦耐镉的标志物。该实验涉及三种不同耐盐性的硬粒小麦基因型/品系。根据抗坏血酸-谷胱甘肽 (AsA-GSH) 循环酶的活性、抗坏血酸与脱氢抗坏血酸的比率、还原与氧化的谷胱甘肽比率 (GSH:GSSG) 以及植物中的 Cd 含量来评估植物对 Cd 的反应。种子。在盐敏感品种“Tamaroi”的对照植物中注意到脱氢抗坏血酸还原酶、单脱氢抗坏血酸还原酶和谷胱甘肽还原酶的最高活性。在 Cd 存在下，这些酶的活性大大降低。“Tamaroi”植物也表现出谷物中最高的 Cd 含量。总之，我们确定了品种“Tamaroi”对镉最敏感，并且可以根据 AsA-GSH 循环酶活性和 GSH:GSSG 比率的显着降低来评估硬粒小麦对该元素的敏感性水平。