Yong, Jean W.H
- Department of Biosystems and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Biochar (BC) and abscisic acid (ABA) may deliver positive physiological effects on heavy metal- stressed plants but their interactive role for regulating cadmium (Cd) availability in agricultural soils is unclear. This study revealed that the Cd-induced oxidative stress significantly reduced the growth of wheat, physiology and antioxidant responses. Interestingly, the co-application of BC (2.5 %) and ABA (20 mu mol L- 1) restored the growth of wheat plants by minimizing Cd accumulation and translocation than their single use. The co-application of these amendments significantly increased the tissues biomass by 36 %, total root volume (29 %), root surface area (44 %), foliar Chl-a and Chl-b by 59 % and 55 % at 10 mg kg- 1 Cd than control. Elevated Cd levels increased the proline, MDA and H2O2 contents, while BC and ABA applications ameliorated the Cd-induced oxidative injury by boosting the enzymatic activities of catalase by 46 %, ascorbateperoxidase by 46 % and peroxidase by 37 % at 10 mg kg- 1 Cd. The Cd treatment also increased Cd levels in soil, root and shoot tissues of wheat plants. The co-application BC and ABA reduced DTPA-extractable soil Cd by about 3-fold at 5 mg kg- 1 and by about 1.8-fold at 10 mg kg- 1, as compared to respective controls. The combined BC + ABA treatment reduced Cd biological accumulation by 35 % and 33 %; and Cd translocation by 21 % and 9 % at 5 and 10 mg kg- 1 Cd levels than control. It was concluded that the combined BC+ABA application restored the growth, physiology, antioxidant enzymatic activities and minimized Cd bioaccumulation in wheat tissues.
Keywords
Cd-contaminated soil; Biochar; Abscisic acid; Photosynthesis; Oxidative injury; Antioxidant enzymatic activities
Published in
Environmental technology & innovation
2025, volume: 38, article number: 104121
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Agricultural Science
Soil Science
Botany
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2025.104121
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/141124