Eren, BarisYolcu, Muhammed SaidTuncturk, Ruveyde2026-04-022026-04-0220260254-62991727-932110.1016/j.sajb.2026.01.046https://hdl.handle.net/123456789/30063https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2026.01.046In this study, the effects of different doses of cadmium (0, 25, 100 & micro;mol) and some biostimulants (ascorbic acid, gibberellic acid, Bacillus megaterium, and Frateuria aurantia) on growth parameters, macro-micro mineral elements, biochemical and phenolic components of basil plant (Ocimum basilicum L.) were investigated. Ocimum basilicum L. being a plant that is consumed directly and is rich in phenolic compounds, is susceptible to heavy metal stress. The main objective of this study was to investigate the negative effects of cadmium, a common pollutant in agricultural soils, and to determine the role of biostimulants, which have the potential to improve plant stress tolerance and metabolic balance, in mitigating these negative effects. The study was conducted in a factorial design with three replications in a completely randomized experimental setup as a pot trial in the open field. Cadmium treatments were observed to induce statistically significant adverse stress effects on almost all of the evaluated parameters, with a few exceptions. It was determined that biostimulants applied to alleviate cadmium stress had statistically significant effects. Overall, all biostimulant treatments alleviated the adverse effects of cadmium stress through distinct morphological, physiological and biochemical pathways. Among them, gibberellic acid emerged as the most effective treatment in promoting overall seedling growth and carotenoid accumulation, while ascorbic acid primarily enhanced phenolic metabolism and antioxidant-related secondary metabolites. Frateuria aurantia mainly improved root biomass and zinc uptake, whereas Bacillus megaterium was particularly effective in enhancing mineral nutrition, photosynthetic pigments, and total antioxidant capacity, highlighting the complementary roles of different biostimulants in improving plant tolerance to cadmium stress. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the role of biostimulants in mitigating cadmium stress and may support the development of new strategies for sustainable agricultural practices.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessBiostimulantsCadmium StressGrowthBiochemical ParameterBASILArticle