Abstract
Arsenic (As) contamination is a serious threat to agriculture and human health worldwide. It can adversely affect the growth attributes of food crops. On the other hand, using thiourea (TU) to ameliorate As stress is an economically consistent approach. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the combined use of TU and Sewage sludge (SS). SS is considered important, unutilized biomass. It can be used as a fertilizer that has high organic matter and nutrients. Therefore, the current study was performed to evaluate TU and SS sole and combined responses under As toxicity on two wheat genotypes (Markaz 19 and Ujala 16). There were four treatments control (As 50 mg kg-1), SS (30 g kg−1)+TU (6.5 mM)+As, TU+As and SS+As applied with four replications. Results revealed that SS+TU performed significantly better over SS, TU and control for improvement in root and shoot fresh and dry weight of wheat varieties Markaz 19 and Ujala 16 under As toxicity. A significant decrease in POD, SOD and APX of Markaz 19 and Ujala 16 also validated the effective functioning of SS+TU over control. The maximum increase of 71 and 77% was noted in phosphorus, where SS+TU was applied over control in Markaz 19 and Ujala 16, respectively. In conclusion, SS+TU is a better approach than the sole application of SS and TU under As contamination for improvement in wheat growth attributes. More investigations are recommended at the field level under different As contamination and agro-climatic zones to declare SS+TU an effective amendment to mitigate As toxicity in wheat.
Highlights
Climate changes, environmental pollution, and ever-increasing population growth are major food safety concerns regarding human health [1]
It was observed that all the treatments, i.e., TU, Sewage sludge (SS) and SS and TU (SS+TU) were significantly different for root and shoot dry weight compared to control
No significant change was noted in Markaz 19 and Ujala 16 in ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and soluble sugar where SS, TU and SS+TU were added than control (Fig 3D)
Summary
Environmental pollution, and ever-increasing population growth are major food safety concerns regarding human health [1]. Sewage sludge and thiourea can improve growth and yield attributes of wheat under arsenic toxicity salinity, nutrition), heavy metals contamination deteriorate a large agricultural area [2–9]. Soil metal contamination is widespread worldwide in huge land areas, especially in Asian countries, including Pakistan [10–20]. Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid ubiquitously present in the soil at trace quantities normally [21]. Being a potential agricultural hazard, As contamination creates serious issues on a wide scale for sustainable crop production and food safety. Higher concentrations of arsenic in soil are phytotoxic in plants, decreasing plant growth and yields, stunted and discolored roots, yellow and withered leaves, less protein contents, and reduction in chlorophyll levels and photosynthetic capacity [10]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
