The rapid accumulation of heavy metals in fertile soils leads to a decrease in productivity and a deterioration in the properties of agricultural products and even a deterioration in the microbiological activity of soils. Zinc is both an important trace element, as well as a very toxic substance for plants, which quickly accumulates both in the soil and in the plants themselves. Although the direct effect of elevated soil zinc concentrations on plants is well understood, little is known about its effect on seedlings of plants. This work shows that increased Zn concentrations in soils can have a negative effect on the quality of barley seed progeny – reduce the mitotic activity of cells and increase the frequency of mitotic abnormalities in seedlings, which reduces the quality of the seed. But since zinc is also a biologically important element necessary for the normal growth and development of plants, its microconcentrations in the soil contribute to a significant increase in the germination energy of seeds grown on these soils of plants and thereby increase their quality. The greatest influence of zinc on the quality properties of seeds and the frequency of mitotic anomalies in their seedlings is observed on sod-podzolic soils.