Asian Journal of Plant Sciences1682-39741812-5697Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/ajps.2010.168.171GozubenliH. 3201093Cadmium is one of the highly toxic heavy metals in the agricultural soils. The effects of cadmium on plant growth have been reported by many authors, but the effects of cadmium content of seeds on germination and seed vigor have not been reported in the literature. A cold test study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of cadmium contamination of soils on seed vigor of maize grown on contaminated soils. The experiment was designed in a randomized complete block design with a split-plot arrangement. Soil series (Comba and Reyhanli) were in the main plots and cadmium contamination levels (0, 10, 20, 40 and 60 mg kg-1) were in the sub-plots. Four replications of 50 seeds from each treatments were planted in cold test for germination and seed vigor. Germination and strong seedling ratios of maize seeds significantly decreased with increases in cadmium contents of soils and the highest germination and strong seedling ratios (90.3, 84.3%, respectively) were observed at uncontaminated soils, whereas, the lowest ratios (79.8, 70.8%, respectively) were at the highest level of Cd contaminated soils.]]>AOSA,1983Benavides, M.P., S.M. Gallego and M.L. Tomaro,2005172134Byrum, J.R. and L.O. Copeland,1995Zea mays L.) seed.]]>23543549Boussama, N., O. Ouariti, A. Suzuki and M.H. Ghorbal,1999155310317Chaffai, R., A. Tekitek and E. El-Ferjani,2006Zea mays L.) seedlings under conditions of copper and cadmium stress.]]>5598606Chaffai, R., E. Mohamed Anis, S. Tini Nouhou, T. Ali, M. Brahim and E. Ezzedine,20072126135Chugh, L.K. and S.K. Sawhney,199942401407Ciecko, Z., S. Kalembasa, M. Wyszkowski and E. Rolka,200413333337Clarkson, D.T. and U. Luttge, 19895193112Copeland, L.O. and M.B. McDonald,1995Dornbos, D.L.,19951995pp: 45-80pp: 45-80Fiala, F.,1987Fodor, A., A. Szabo-Nagy and L. Erdei,1995+-ATPase activity of plasma membrane from sunflower and wheat roots.]]>1478792Haghiri, F.,197329396Iwai, I., T. Hara and Y. Sonoda,1975213746Kumar, R.G. and R.S. Dubey,1999155118121Lee, S.M. and T. Leustek,1999Brassica juncea.]]>141201207Malekzadeh, P., J. Khara, S. Farshian, A.K. Jamal-Abad and S. Rahmatzadeh,200710127131Martin, B.A., O.S. Smith and M. O'Neil,198828801805Moreno, J.L., T. Hernandez and C. Garcia,199928230237Nocito, F.F., L. Pirovano, M. Cocucci and G.A.Sacchi,200212918721879Pacifici, R.E. and K.J.A. Davies,1990186485502Pal, M., E. Horvath, T. Janda, E. Paldi and G. Szalai,2006169239246Pinto, A.P., A.M. Mota, A. De Varennes and F.C. Pinto,2004326239247Rascio, N., F.D. Vecchia, M. Ferretti, L. Merlo and R. Ghisi,199325244249Reinheckel, T., H. Noack, S. Lorenz, I. Wiswedel and W. Augustin,19982911951200Rivetta, A., N. Negrini and M. Cocucci,19972+ calmodulin in Cd2+ toxicity during the early phases of radish (Raphanus sativus L.) seed germination.]]>20600608Siroka, B., J. Huttova, L. Tamas, M. Simonoviva and I. Mistrik,200459513517Yıldız, N.,200537593599FAO,2010