Abstract
Pot and field experiments were conducted to study the effects of mulching with straw of cadmium (Cd) tolerant plants (Ranunculus sieboldii, Mazus japonicus, Clinopodium confine and Plantago asiatica) on growth and Cd accumulation of Galinsoga parviflora in Cd-contaminated soil. In the pot experiment, mulching with M. japonicus straw increased the root biomass, stem biomass, leaf biomass, shoot biomass, plant height and activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase) of G. parviflora compared with the control, whereas mulching with straws of R. sieboldii, C. confine and P. asiatica decreased these parameters. Straws of the four Cd-tolerant plants increased the Cd content in roots of G. parviflora compared with the control. However, only straws of M. japonicus and P. asiatica increased the Cd content in shoots of G. parviflora, reduced the soil pH, and increased the soil exchangeable Cd concentration. Straw of M. japonicus increased the amount of Cd extraction in stems, leaves and shoots of G. parviflora by 21.11%, 29.43% and 24.22%, respectively, compared with the control, whereas straws of the other three Cd-tolerant plants decreased these parameters. In the field experiment, the M. japonicus straw also increased shoot biomass, Cd content in shoots, and amount of Cd extraction in shoots of G. parviflora compared with the control. Therefore, straw of M. japonicus can be used to improve the Cd extraction ability of G. parviflora from Cd-contaminated soil.
Highlights
As anthropogenic impacts on the environment continue to intensify, increasing soil contamination with heavy metals has become a major factor harming human health [1]
The M. japonicus straw mulch significantly (P,0.05) increased the root, stem, leaf, and shoot biomasses of G. parviflora by 18.75%, 9.35%, 33.33%, and 16.11%, respectively, compared with those of the control, whereas mulching with R. sieboldii, C. confine, and P. asiatica straws decreased these biomasses compared with the control (Table 1)
The treatment effects on root biomass of G. parviflora were ranked as M. japonicus straw . control .P. asiatica straw
Summary
As anthropogenic impacts on the environment continue to intensify, increasing soil contamination with heavy metals has become a major factor harming human health [1]. Improvement in the remediation ability of hyperaccumulator is of practical importance
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