Phytoremediation of nickel by quinoa: Morphological and physiological response

Abstract

The amount of soil contaminated with heavy metal increases due to urbanization, industrialization, and anthropogenic activities. Quinoa is considered a useful candidate in the remediation of such soil. In this pot experiment, the phytoextraction capacity of quinoa lines (A1, A2, A7, and A9) against different nickel (Ni) concentrations (0, 50, and 100 mg kg-1) were investigated. Required Ni concentrations were developed in polythene bags filled with sandy loam soil using nickel nitrate salt prior to two months of sowing and kept sealed up to sowing. Results showed that translocation of Ni increased from roots to shoots with an increase in soil Ni concentration in all lines. A2 line accumulated high Ni in leaf compared to the root as depicted by translocation factor 3.09 and 3.21 when grown at soil having 50 and 100 Ni mg kg-1, respectively. While, in the case of root, A7 accumulated high Ni followed by A9, A1, and A2, respectively. There was a 5–7% increased seed yield by 50 mg kg-1 Ni in all except A1 compared to control. However, growth and yield declined with a further increase in Ni level. The maximum reduction in yield was noticed in A9, which was strongly linked with poor physiological performance, e.g., chlorophyll a, b, and phenolic contents. Ni concentrations in the seed of all lines were within the permissible value set (67 ppm) by FAO/WHO. The result of the present study suggests that quinoa is a better accumulator of Ni. This species can provide the scope of decontamination of heavy metal polluted soil. The screened line can be used for future quinoa breeding programs for bioremediation and phytoextraction purpose.

Multidimensional Role of Silicon to Activate Resilient Plant Growth and to Mitigate Abiotic Stress

“…The frequently found heavy metals, such as Al, Cd, arsenic (As), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn), in cultivated crop plants available through irrigation greatly influence the dynamics of soils ( Shimo et al, 2011 ; Nazli et al, 2020 ; Asaad Bashir et al, 2021 ; Mehmood et al, 2021 ; Haseeb et al, 2022 ; Raza et al, 2022 ). These heavy metals induce devastating impacts on crop production and are potentially toxic to human health.…”

Application of silicon and biochar alleviates the adversities of arsenic stress in maize by triggering the morpho-physiological and antioxidant defense mechanisms

“…Heavy metals are a major concern for plant and human nutrition as these not only affect plant growth (Mehmood et al, 2018;Haseeb et al, 2022;Javad et al, 2022) and development but also cause health issues in humans and livestock when they consume food grown in the soils contaminated with heavy metals (Abdul et al, 2015). Arsenic (As) is a nonessential poisonous element for plants and animals and has no proven biological role in living tissues (Abdul et al, 2015;Farooq et al, 2019).…”

Do root interactions between wheat and non-mycorrhizal ancestral plants influence fungal activity and soil quality in an Andisol?

“…Additionally, there is scarce information about soil pH influenced by amaranth root exudation and its relationship with P acquisition compared with other studies reporting its role in allelopathy or as useful plant in bioremediation (Haseeb et al, 2022). The small changes in soil pH would influence the available P levels, which were almost the same for both cover crops (Figure 1B) due to high phosphatase activity (Figure 1C) and mobilized P (Figure 2B).…”