We studied the effects of cadmium acetate at various concentrations (200 to 800 mg/kg substrate) on growth and development of shoot apical meristem of the barley plants (Hordeum vulgare L.) under the conditions of vegetative experiment. It was shown that in the presence of increasing cadmium concentrations in the soil substrate, the apex length and number of inflorescence elements decreased and the rate of organogenesis slowed down, thus affecting the spike potential productivity and morphological parameters of barley plants at the flowering phase. It is possible that the negative effect of cadmium on the shoot apical meristem is associated with its influence on division of the apex cells.
