Effect of Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Ni²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions on the growth and development of Triticum aestivum L

Background Heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils in war-affected regions may reduce wheat productivity and threaten food security. At the same time, selected metal ions in chelated form may influence seed germination, plant growth, yield formation, and plant responses to bacterial infection. This study evaluated the effects of iron citrate, iron glycinate, and lysinate complexes of nickel and chromium on the growth and development of wheat plants and on their response to Pseudomonas syringae . Results Wheat plants were grown in pots for three months under controlled conditions and exposed to six treatments: untreated control, iron glycinate, iron citrate, nickel lysinate, chromium lysinate, and combined nickel plus chromium lysinates, each applied at 0.01 mg dm⁻³. Each treatment included non-infected and inoculated subgroups. Seed germination, stem length, grain number, and grain mass were assessed. Iron chelates did not show a clear effect on germination, stem length, or yield. In contrast, treatment with nickel and chromium lysinates increased seed germination to 90–97% and improved yield-related traits. Compared with the untreated control, nickel lysinate increased stem length by 13%, grain number by 72%, and total grain mass by 63%, whereas chromium lysinate increased grain number by 60% and total grain mass by 57.5%. Inoculation with Pseudomonas syringae caused transient leaf lesions, but plants recovered during cultivation. Infection had no clear effect on stem length and only a limited effect on mean grain weight. Conclusions At the tested dose, nickel and chromium lysinate complexes were associated with improved germination and yield performance of wheat, whereas iron citrate and iron glycinate showed little effect under the same conditions. Wheat plants were able to recover after inoculation with Pseudomonas syringae in the experimental system used. These findings suggest that low-dose nickel and chromium lysinate complexes may have stimulatory potential in wheat, although further validation under field conditions is required.