Effect of polyvinyl chloride and cadmium on absorption and accumulation of nutrients under symbiotic fungi in foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) seedling

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D student, Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
Polyvinyl chloride is one of the dominant microplastic types used in agricultural land and is mainly concentrated in shallow soils (Yang et al., 2022). Cadmium toxicity can damage the metal absorption metabolic mechanisms and affect essential element level control (Mourato et al., 2019). Co-presence of microplastics and heavy metals can cause synergistic, antagonistic, or reinforcing effects on plants, but definitive information is still limited (Kumar et al., 2022). Using symbiotic fungi is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method to increase plant growth and tolerance to cadmium stress (Kumar and Verma, 2018). We aimed to investigate the polyvinyl chloride effect under cadmium stress and S. indica role in modulating the combined stress on the absorption, translocation, and accumulation of important nutrients in foxtail millet root and shoot.
 
Materials and methods
A factorial, completely randomized design experiment with three replicates was conducted. The investigated factors included 0, 2.5, 5, and 10 mg cadmium kg-1 soil, 0, 0.1, and 1% polyvinyl chloride, and S. indica symbiosis (fungus absence and presence). The sterilized seeds were placed in a plastic pot containing 1.5 kg cadmium and microplastic-contaminated soil. Then fungus spore suspension was applied to the seeds. After 60 days, the plant organs were harvested and the plant organs were dried for 48 hours in an oven at 70°C and then weighed. The 0.5 g of milled dry leaves and roots were ashed at 550°C for 5 hours, after the digestion, element contents were measured by an atomic absorption device. The fungal colonization percentage, root-to-shoot ratio, heavy metal tolerance index, and content of macronutrients and micronutrients were calculated. Data were analyzed through the SAS (9.4) statistical program and means values were compared by LSD test (P < 0.05).
 
Results and discussion
The results of the data variance analysis showed that the combined effect of cadmium and polyvinyl chloride on the examined traits was significant at the 1% probability level, except for the Ca and K contents in root, Cd contents in root and shoot, which was at the 5% probability level. The presence of microplastic improved colonization percentage, metal tolerance index, root and shoot dry weight, so decreased root/shoot in cadmium-stressed plants. Microplastic reduces the negative effects of heavy metal on the dry weight of roots and shoots due to the property of maintaining heavy metal on their surface (Dong et al., 2022). Cadmium reduced contents of Na, K, Mg, Ca, Cu, Mn, and Zn in root and shoot, and the presence of a microplastic increased their contents in shoot and root only in 10 mg cadmium except Ca and Zn that was in shoot. Microplastics can bind to root surfaces (Yang et al., 2021), reduce root activity and heavy metal absorption (Dong et al., 2022), and increase nutrient absorption. Moreover, microplastics have a lower absorption capacity for metal pollutants in the soil, and due to their diluting properties; they can increase metal mobility and availability (Zhang et al., 2020). Fe content decreased in the shoot and increased in the root under cadmium toxicity. Co-treatment of cadmium and microplastic just increased Fe root content in 0.1% PVC and 2.5 mg Cd. The formation of Fe-Mn plaques on the roots increases the cadmium chelation in the rhizosphere and root surfaces, which can act as a barrier to protect the plant against cadmium toxicity (Liu et al., 2010). S. indica increased plant dry weight and macronutrient and micronutrient contents in the shoots and the roots. It is due to plant hormone production and increased absorption of micronutrients and macronutrients by the roots (Zahoor, 2017). The mentioned fungus also improves the metal tolerance index by elevating cadmium content in the root and alleviating it in the shoot. This can be related to the binding of metals to the fungal hyphae cell walls and their transfer reduction to the plant's above-ground parts (Baghaie et al., 2021).
 
Conclusion
The results showed that polyvinyl chloride can modulate cadmium's adverse effect on the foxtail millet shoot in cadmium-contaminated soil and reduce the entry of cadmium into the food chain. In addition, S. indica increases the plant's tolerance to cadmium and microplastic stress conditions by increasing water availability and nutrient absorption, increasing cadmium accumulation in the roots, and reducing its transfer to the shoots. Considering the complexity of different soil-plant systems, this conclusion needs further investigation and cannot generalized to other cases.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Environmental Stresses in Crop Sciences

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  • Receive Date: 08 August 2024
  • Revise Date: 27 September 2024
  • Accept Date: 07 October 2024

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