Heavy Metals Can Affect Plant Morphology and Limit Plant Growth and Photosynthesis Processes

Soil heavy metal pollution caused by human activities has become one of the most critical environmental issues with a global concern. Phytoremediation is widely used due to its low cost and environmental friendliness. However, the impact of heavy metals on plant growth remains unclear. This study investigated the effects on the growth and photosynthetic activity of Picris divaricata Vant. under different cadmium concentrations using a hydroponics cultivation system. The results showed that the growth and photosynthetic processes of P. divaricata exhibited a phenomenon of promotion in low Cd concentrations and inhibition in high Cd concentrations. Under a low to medium Cd concentration (≤25 μM), there was no Cd toxicity in terms of plant growth, but high concentrations of Cd inhibited plant growth. The Fe content of leaves gradually increased as the Cd concentration increased; it reached 201.8 mg kg−1 in 75 μM Cd. However, there was no significant difference in Mn between the 75 μM Cd treatment and the control (p > 0.05). The contents of carotenoid ranged between 3.06 and 3.26 mg/g across the different Cd treatments, showing no significant differences. The treatment with 5–75 μM Cd did not directly affect the photosynthesis of P. divaricata. Higher Cd concentrations reduced the stomatal density on the of P. divaricata leaves, resulting in stomatal and mesophyll conductance limitations, indirectly affecting P. divaricata photosynthesis. These research results provide a reference for evaluating and selecting heavy metal tolerant plants and provide environmentally friendly approaches to remediate heavy metal pollution.