Enhancing Phytoremediation Efficiency Using Regulated Deficit Irrigation

Abstract

In this study, Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla was grown in cadmium-contaminated soil in a greenhouse. Regulated deficit irrigation was applied using three different irrigation levels (T1: 300 L, T2: 200 L, T3: 100 L per block during each irrigation event during the organogenesis stage; T1 was the control) to examine the effects on phytoremediation efficiency. According to the experimental results, the regulated deficit irrigation treatment (T2) decreased the Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla shoot biomass by 15.8%, increased the Cd concentration in the shoots by 23%, and maintained a constant root-shoot ratio. By contrast, T3 decreased the Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla shoot biomass by 33.0%, decreased the Cd concentration in shoots by 9.8%, and increased the root-shoot ratio by 62.8%. The Cd remediation potential efficiency (PE) of treatment T2 was 5.42 g ha-1-i.e., 39.7% higher than that of T1 and 61.8% higher than that of T3. This study indicated that regulated deficit irrigation can be used to enhance Cd phytoremediation and save water, but should be applied in a suitable way.

Changes in Root Exudates’ Composition and Their Ability to Release Cadmium Adhered to Soil in Four Lettuce Varieties under Cadmium Stress

“…To measure the capacity of root exudates to activate Cd bound to soil, each root exudate sample was mixed with Cd-contaminated soil (1 g kg -1 , pH = 7.3) and oscillated to leach Cd (soil to water ratio, 2:1) for 2 h at 25ºC. The solution was filtered and then analyzed using a flame graphite furnace atomic spectrophotometer (Hitachi Z2000) to determine the Cd concentration , using the diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid extraction method as a reference [3]. The Cd-contaminated soil was prepared in April 2013 and comprised Lou soil mixed with a solution of CdCl 2 .…”

“…In China, heavy metal pollution in soils is one of the most serious problems in crop cultivation, and it can cause serious economic losses [1][2][3]. When the growth environment is unfavorable or stressful, for example, because of heavy metal pollution, some plants can activate anti-stress responses to tolerate that environmental stress [4].…”

Using Eight Crops to Show the Correlation between Paucity Irrigation and Yield Reduction of Al-Hussainiyah Irrigation Project in Karbala, Iraq

“…Paucity irrigation has been applied in many crops to save water and to achieve water use efficiency in crops such as Phillyrea angustifolia [7], Beta vulgaris L. var. cicla [8], sugar beet [9], maize [10][11][12][13][14], corn [15], wheat [16][17][18][19], potato [20][21][22], onion [23], cucumber [24], olive trees [25], almond [26], plum fruit [27], tomato [28], and other species.…”

“…Paucity irrigation was adopted using a different process such as dividing irrigation levels to three rates [8] or five soil water levels [21]. On the other hand, many researchers used models to show the best irrigation period with evapotranspiration rate (ET).…”

“…ey noticed that 100 L had the highest yields of different parts of potato growing. Similarly, Tang et al adopted three different irrigation levels (300 L, 200 L, and 100 L), and they mentioned that paucity irrigation using 200 L caused a decreasing yield of the plants less than using 100 L [8]. In addition, Tari used wheat in Central Anatolia, Turkey, by adopting four water paucity irrigation levels (0, 35, 65, and 100%), and these levels were used with different growth phases of wheat by using twenty-two test treatments [18].…”