Toxic Effect of Cadmium Chloride on the Carbohydrate Content of Andrographis paniculata (Burm.F)

Cadmium is one of the most toxic heavy metals present in soil as a result of use of insecticides, fungicides and commercial fertilizers and also present in sludge which is used for irrigation. An attempt has been made to assess the response of Andrographis paniculata under influence of Cadmium Chloride (CdCl2) with special reference to carbohydrate content. In the present study the effect of different concentrations of Cadmium Chloride on the carbohydrate content of Andrographis paniculata was estimated and compared with the carbohydrate content of untreated plants. The study results revealed that Cadmium adversely and significantly (p<0.05) influenced the carbohydrate content of plant on increasing the concentration of Cadmium. In control the carbohydrate content was 51.75μg/ml, whereas in cadmium treated plants the carbohydrate content was decreased in the range of 29.57 μg/ml at 10mg, 25.81 μg/ml at 20mg, 23. 04 μg/ml at 30mg, 17.41 μg/ml at 40mg and15.76μg/ml at 50mg/kg of cadmium. The results clearly indicated that toxicity of cadmium adversely affected the metabolism of plants.