## 1 Introduction  
The concentration of cadmium (Cd) in the air, soil, and waters of the Earth is a result of natural and human activities such as industrial processes and agricultural practices [1; 2]. The rising levels of this highly toxic heavy metal have led to a global environmental concern, particularly for plants [1; 2]. Cd also poses a risk to livestock and human health, as it can accumulate in plants and subsequently be transferred through the food chain. Plants developed strategies for the accumulation and tolerance of heavy metals in response to environmental selection pressures caused by heavy metal pollution. These strategies enable them to play a crucial role in the bioremediation of heavy metal-contaminated environments [3]. The bioconcentration factor (BCF, the root-to-soil ratio of heavy metal) and the translocation factor (TF, the shoot-to-root ratio of heavy metal) are used to determine the level of phytoremediation in plants. Plants with more than one TF and BCF (TF > 1 and BCF > 1) are expected to be used in phytorefraction [4; 5]. One study [6] showed that _Pisum sativuum_ has phytostabilization potential and exhibits Cd excluder behaviour (a BCF > 1 and TF < 1) when grown in hydroponics and treated with 50 \(\upmu\)M CdSO\({}_{4}\). The excluder plants contribute to environmental sustainability and ecosystem resilience by acting as natural barriers against the harmful effects of heavy metal contamination [7]. The present study was carried out to understand the mechanisms underlying the harmful impact of Cd on plants and to address the ecological and agricultural consequences associated with Cd pollution. Although Cd has not been shown to be required for metabolic processes, it is effectively absorbed by plants [8] and can affect plant growth and development at all stages [9]. Cd exerts its detrimental effects on plant development through multiple pathways, affecting physiological and biochemical processes [10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17]. One of the primary targets of Cd toxicity is the disruption of essential mineral nutrient uptake and homeostasis [18; 19; 20; 21; 14]. Consequently, this disrupts critical processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, and cellular metabolism, ultimately impairing plant growth and development [14; 22; 23]. Studies showed that exposure to Cd can cause a delay in flowering time and, consequently, in grain maturation, a smaller number of fruits or pods per plant, and reductions in their weight and yield [17]. Our previous study indicated that Cd affects the flowering time and the seed development of peas [14]. Interestingly, the inhibitory effect of Cd on photosynthesis and transpiration rate was observed later during the experiment [14]. For this study, we investigated the effect of Cd on changes in carbohydrate profiles over the course of the experiment. In addition, the study was carried out on fully developed but not flowering plants to analyse changes in sugar distribution under Cd stress during the transition from the vegetative to the generative stage of plant development. Carbohydrates serve as essential energy sources and signalling molecules, and thus their availability and distribution are critical for developmental processes [24]. The Cd-induced alteration of total soluble sugar levels and carbohydrate metabolism was previously described [20; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30]. The Cd exposure significantly increased soluble and reducing carbohydrates in summer savory (_Satureja hortenisis_ L.) [31], while decreasing the reducing sugar content in wheat seedlings [20]. Interestingly, [PERSON] et al. [32] showed the pronounced accumulation of galactinol and raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) during Cd stress in _Arabidopsis thaliana_. Here, we analysed the profile and changes of soluble carbohydrates using the high-resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) method, which allowed us to determine detailed information about the composition and concentration of individual sugars.