N-Fertilizer (Urea) Enhances the Phytoextraction of Cadmium through Solanum nigrum L

Arosha Maqbool, Shafaqat Ali, Muhammad Rizwan, Muhammad Saleem Arif, Tahira Yasmeen, Muhammad Riaz, Afzal Hussain, Shamaila Noreen, Mohamed M. Abdel-Daim and Saad Alkahtani
Additional contact information
Arosha Maqbool: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Shafaqat Ali: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Muhammad Rizwan: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Muhammad Saleem Arif: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Tahira Yasmeen: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Muhammad Riaz: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Afzal Hussain: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Shamaila Noreen: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Mohamed M. Abdel-Daim: Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Saad Alkahtani: Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-14

Abstract: Heavy metal contamination is currently a major environmental concern, as most agricultural land is being polluted from municipal discharge. Among various other pollutants, cadmium (Cd), one of the most harmful heavy metals, enters into the food chain through the irrigation of crops with an industrial effluent. In the present study, a pot experiment was designed to assess the effect of different nitrogen (N)-fertilizer forms in the phytoremediation of Cd through Solanum nigrum L. Two types of N fertilizers (NH 4 NO 3 and urea) were applied to the soil in different ratios (0:0, 100:0, 0:100, and 50:50 of NH 4 NO 3 and urea, individually) along with different Cd levels (0, 25, and 50 mg kg −1 ). The plants were harvested 70 days after sowing the seeds in pots. Cadmium contamination significantly inhibited the growth of leaves and roots of S. nigrum plants. Cadmium contamination also induced oxidative stress; however, the application of N-fertilizers increased the plant biomass by inhibiting oxidative stress and enhancing antioxidants’ enzymatic activities. The greatest plant growth was observed in the urea-treated plants compared with the NH 4 NO 3 -treated plants. In addition, urea-fed plants also accumulated higher Cd concentrations than NH 4 NO 3 -fed plants. It is concluded that urea is helpful for better growth of S. nigrum under Cd stress. Thus, an optimum concentration of N-fertilizers might be effective in the phytoremediation of heavy metals through S. nigrum .

Keywords: N-fertilizers; toxicity; phytoremediation; antioxidants; metal uptake (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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