LAUSR

Abstract Metals and metalloids were known to have a real problem and serious risk to the environment and the ecosystems as well as human beings. In the present experiment, phyototoxicity of essential metals (Cu and Ni) and non-essential metalloids (As) at 10, 50, 100 and 200 mg L−1 were evaluated on seed germination and early seedlings growth of fenugreek. Higher concentrations of Cu had almost no effect on the parameters tested. By contrast, As was found to reduce germination, root and shoot elongation, seeds vigor index and dry biomass within range dose of 50–200 mg L−1. Accordingly, tolerance index showed that fenugreek seeds have zero tolerance at higher concentration of As. The decreasing order of sensibility of fenugreek seeds to tested metals and metalloid followed the order: As > Ni > Cu.