The present study has evaluated effects of chevalier concentrations used for controlling cereals growth, on selected metabolic and stress- related physiological parameters in wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) cultivar Wercenis and (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar HD1220 plants after two days of treatment with herbicide. Our results show that the chevalier induced oxidative stress triggered significant changes in growing plants, although, both cultivars of wheat seemed to have most likely similar contents of biomass foliar and roots, chevalier caused differential reductions; greater in Wercenis than in HD1220.However, photosynthetic pigments content was significantly lower in plants grow, a linear drop in chlorophyll content was observed with an increase in the herbicide at all concentrations. Increasing concentrations of herbicide increase total protein accumulation, the percentage changes are more in both varieties at 2, 2.5 RFD, increase in protein is more pronounced in Wercenis than in HD1220. While malondialdehyde, an indicator of lipid peroxidation, and membrane permeability, were constitutively elevated; indicates that the chevalier-induced oxidative stress appeared obvious in wheat, a status that seemed consistent in HD1220 than in Wercenis. The increase in GSH content accompanied with great induction of GST activity in Wercenis, in the present results, confirm the chevalier- induced oxidative stress, the opposite pattern of response observed in HD1220 could support the ability of this variety to tolerate chevalier and to overcome its toxicity.
