Abstract
Among heavy metals, chromium (Cr) contamination is increasing gradually due to the use of untreated industrial effluents for irrigation purposes, thereby posing a severe threat to crop production. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of compost, biochar (BC), and co-composted BC on the growth, physiological, biochemical attributes, and health risks associated with the consumption of Brassica grown on Cr-contaminated soil. Results revealed that Cr stress (Cr-25) significantly reduced the growth and physiological attributes and increased antioxidant enzyme activities in Brassica, but the applied amendments considerably retrieved the negative effects of Cr toxicity through improving the growth and physiology of plants. The maximum increase in plant height (75.3%), root length (151.0%), shoot dry weight (139.4%), root dry weight (158.5%), and photosynthetic rate (151.0%) was noted with the application of co-composted BC under Cr stress (Cr-25) in comparison to the control. The application of co-composted BC significantly reduced antioxidant enzyme activities, such as APX (42.5%), GP (45.1%), CAT (45.4%), GST (47.8%), GR (47.1%), and RG (48.2%), as compared to the control under Cr stress. The same treatment reduced the accumulation of Cr in grain, shoot, and roots of Brassica by 4.12, 2.27, and 2.17 times and enhanced the accumulation in soil by 1.52 times as compared to the control. Moreover, the application of co-composted BC significantly enhanced phytostabilization efficiency and reduced associated health risks with the consumption of Brassica. It is concluded that the application of co-composted BC in Cr-contaminated soil can significantly enhance the growth, physiological, and biochemical attributes of Brassica by reducing its uptake in plants and enhanced phytostabilization efficiency. The tested product may also help in restoring the soils contaminated with Cr.
Highlights
The contamination of heavy metals (HMs) in soil is a serious threat to sustainable crop production and soil quality because these metals are non-degradable and persist in soil for longer durations (Kamran et al, 2019)
The objectives of this study were to investigate the impact of compost, BC, and co-composted BC on growth, physiological, antioxidant, and biochemical attributes of Brassica grown under Cr-contaminated soil and the phytostabilization efficiency of compost, BC, and co-composted BC in addition to the Cr-contaminated soil and associated health risk assessment of Brassica grown under Cr stress
The results showed that Cr stress (Cr-25) significantly reduced growth, physiological and biochemical parameters of Brassica under the control treatment without any amendment
Summary
The contamination of heavy metals (HMs) in soil is a serious threat to sustainable crop production and soil quality because these metals are non-degradable and persist in soil for longer durations (Kamran et al, 2019). Especially excessive use of inorganic fertilizers and agrochemicals, have polluted soil and resulted in enhanced environmental degradation and threatened sustainability (Ditta et al, 2015; Murtaza et al, 2021b). The application of organic waste manure, sewage sludge, and irrigation with industrial effluents contributes significant amounts of HMs into agricultural systems (Kamran et al, 2019; Bashir et al, 2020a,b). Among HMs, chromium (Cr) is considered a major environmental pollutant due to its severe toxicity and recalcitrant nature (Ali et al, 2018). Industrial effluents from electroplating, catalytic manufacturing and wood preservation, leather tanning, and alloy preparation contain large amounts of Cr, which are the major sources of Cr contamination in the soil (Govil and Krishna, 2018). Cr(VI) is a highly soluble, potentially mobile across membranes with strong oxidation potential, toxic, allergenic, carcinogenic, and irritant that damages the liver, kidney, and lungs (Bashir et al, 2020a,b; Tepanosyan et al, 2020)
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