Abstract
Heavy metal contamination due to anthropogenic activities is a great threat to modern humanity. A novel and natural technique of bioremediation using microbes for detoxification of heavy metals while improving plants' growth is the call of the day. In this study, exposing soybean plants to different concentrations (i.e., 10 and 50 ppm) of chromium and arsenic showed a severe reduction in agronomic attributes, higher reactive oxygen species production, and disruption in the antioxidant system. Contrarily, rhizobacterial isolate C18 inoculation not only rescued host growth, but also improved the production of nonenzymatic antioxidants (i.e., flavonoids, phenolic, and proline contents) and enzymatic antioxidants i.e., catalases, ascorbic acid oxidase, peroxidase activity, and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, lower reactive oxygen species accumulation in leaves. Thereby, lowering secondary oxidative stress and subsequent damage. The strain was identified using 16S rDNA sequencing and was identified as Pseudocitrobacter anthropi. Additionally, the strain can endure metals up to 1200 ppm and efficient in detoxifying the effect of chromium and arsenic by regulating phytohormones (IAA 59.02µg/mL and GA 101.88 nM/mL) and solubilizing inorganic phosphates, making them excellent phytostimulant, biofertilizers, and heavy metal bio-remediating agent.
Highlights
Heavy metal pollution is an alarming concern for many countries as they have the property of bioaccumulation, making a way to the food chain and resulting in human exposure
Heavy metal resistant strains were isolated from the rhizosphere of Chlorophytum comosum and were assessed for detoxification effects against chromium and arsenic while improving host plant growth
The results here indicated that P. anthropi has relatively high tolerance to Cr-(VI) and As-(V) and reduction rate
Summary
Heavy metal pollution is an alarming concern for many countries as they have the property of bioaccumulation, making a way to the food chain and resulting in human exposure. Exposure to heavy metals results in inducing oncogenicity, carcinogenicity and organ damage. Arsenic mobility in the natural environment is a major concern in arsenic-rich and contaminated areas. Chromium and arsenic both are very toxic in nature and can induce oxidative damage in biological systems (Achour et al 2007). They are analogs of sulphate and phosphate respectively and can actively be up taken and accumulated in cells beyond threshold levels, disrupting important physicochemical processes (Shrestha et al 2008). Bacteria play key role in Cr and As speciation by converting Cr-(VI) to Cr-(III) and As-(V) to As-(III) are of environmental significance due to the formation of uncharged state which has higher mobility than arsenate
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