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Haider FU, Virk AL, Rehmani MIA, Skalicky M, Ata-ul-Karim ST, Ahmad N, Soufan W, Brestic M, Sabagh AEL, Liqun C. Integrated Application of Thiourea and Biochar Improves Maize Growth, Antioxidant Activity and Reduces Cadmium Bioavailability in Cadmium-Contaminated Soil. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:809322. [PMID: 35178057 PMCID: PMC8845445 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.809322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) contamination of croplands jeopardizes sustainable crop production and human health. However, curtailing Cd transfer and mobility in the rhizosphere-plant system is challenging. Sole application of biochar (BC) and thiourea (TU) has been reported to restrain Cd toxicity and uptake in plants. However, the combined applications of BC and TU in mitigating the harmful effects of Cd on plants have not yet been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this study attempts to explore the integrated impact of three maize stalk BC application rates [B 0 (0% w/w), B 1 (2.5% w/w), and B 2 (5% w/w)] and three TU foliar application rates [T 0 (0 mg L-1), T 1 (600 mg L-1), and T 2 (1,200 mg L-1)] in remediating the adverse effects of Cd on maize growth, development, and physiology. Results demonstrated that Cd concentration in soil inhibited plant growth by reducing leaf area, photosynthesis activity, and enhanced oxidative stress in maize. Nevertheless, BC and TU application in combination (B 2 T 2) improved the fresh biomass, shoot height, leaf area, and photosynthesis rate of maize plants by 27, 42, 36, and 15%, respectively, compared with control (B 0 T 0). Additionally, the oxidative stress values [malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and electrolyte leakage (EL)] were minimized by 26, 20, and 21%, respectively, under B 2 T 2 as compared with B 0 T 0. Antioxidant enzyme activities [superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)] were 81 and 58%, respectively, higher in B 2 T 2 than in B 0 T 0. Besides, the shoot and root Cd concentrations were decreased by 42 and 49%, respectively, under B 2 T 2 compared with B 0 T 0. The recent study showed that the integrated effects of BC and TU have significant potential to improve the growth of maize on Cd-contaminated soil by reducing Cd content in plant organs (shoots and roots).
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Affiliation(s)
- Fasih Ullah Haider
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ahmad Latif Virk
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Farming System, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, Beijing, China
| | - Muhammad Ishaq Asif Rehmani
- Departmet of Agronomy, Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan
- *Correspondence: Muhammad Ishaq Asif Rehmani,
| | - Milan Skalicky
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czechia
| | | | - Naeem Ahmad
- College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Walid Soufan
- Department of Plant Production, College of Food and Agriculture, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marian Brestic
- Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czechia
- Institute of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture, Nitra, Slovakia
| | - Ayman E. L. Sabagh
- Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr el-Sheikh, Egypt
- Ayman E. L. Sabagh,
| | - Cai Liqun
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
- Cai Liqun,
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