Deciphering Whether Illite, a Natural Clay Mineral, Alleviates Cadmium Stress in Glycine max Plants via Modulation of Phytohormones and Endogenous Antioxidant Defense System

Sang-Mo Kang, Shifa Shaffique, Md. Injamum-Ul-Hoque, Ho-Jun Gam, Ji-In Woo, Jin Ryeol Jeon, Da-Sol Lee, In-Jung Lee and Bong-Gyu Mun ()
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Sang-Mo Kang: Department of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
Shifa Shaffique: Department of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
Md. Injamum-Ul-Hoque: Department of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
Ho-Jun Gam: Department of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
Ji-In Woo: Department of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
Jin Ryeol Jeon: Department of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
Da-Sol Lee: Department of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
In-Jung Lee: Department of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
Bong-Gyu Mun: Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-14

Abstract: Globally, cadmium (Cd) stress dramatically reduces agricultural yield. Illite, a natural clay mineral, is a low-cost, environmentally acceptable, new promising method of reducing the heavy metal (HM) stress of cereal crops. In research statistics, there is little research on stress tolerance behavior of Illite (IL) on an experimental soybean plant. In the present study, we took IL and examined it for tolerance to Cd, as well as for other plant-growth-promoting (PGP) characteristics in Glycine max (soybean). The results showed that applying clay minerals in different concentrations enhanced the level of SA (defense hormone) and reduced the level of ABA (stress hormone). Cd 1 mM significantly reduces plant growth by altering their morphological characteristics. However, the application of IL significantly enhanced the seedling characteristics, such as root length (RL), 29.6%, shoot length (SL), 14.5%, shoot fresh biomass (SFW), 10.8%, and root fresh biomass (RFB), 6.4%, in comparison with the negative control group. Interestingly, IL 1% also enhanced the chlorophyll content (C.C), 15.5%, and relative water content (RWC), 12.5%, in all treated plants. Moreover, it resulted in an increase in the amount of superoxide dismutase (SOD), phenolics, and flavonoids in soybean plants, while lowering the levels of peroxidase (POD) and H 2 O 2 . Furthermore, compared to control plants, soybean plants treated with the Illite exhibited increased Si absorption and lower Cd levels, according to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Thus, the IL can operate as an environmentally beneficial biofertilizer and sustainable approach under Cd stress by promoting plant development by activating signaling events.

Keywords: plant hormones; metal stress; illite; ROS; defense mechanism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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