Mitigation of Nickel Toxicity and Growth Promotion in Sesame through the Application of a Bacterial Endophyte and Zeolite in Nickel Contaminated Soil

Muhammad Naveed, Syeda Sosan Bukhari, Adnan Mustafa, Allah Ditta, Saud Alamri, Mohamed A. El-Esawi, Munazza Rafique, Sobia Ashraf and Manzer H. Siddiqui
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Muhammad Naveed: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Syeda Sosan Bukhari: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Adnan Mustafa: National Engineering Laboratory for Improving Quality of Arable Land, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Allah Ditta: Department of Environmental Sciences, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Sheringal, Upper Dir 18000, Pakistan
Saud Alamri: Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed A. El-Esawi: Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt
Munazza Rafique: Soil Bacteriology Section, Ayub Agriculture Research Institute, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Sobia Ashraf: Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
Manzer H. Siddiqui: Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-23

Abstract: Nickel (Ni) bioavailable fraction in the soil is of utmost importance because of its involvement in plant growth and environmental feedbacks. High concentrations of Ni in the soil environment, especially in the root zone, may retard plant growth that ultimately results in reduced plant biomass and yield. However, endophytic microorganisms have great potential to reduce the toxicity of Ni, especially when applied together with zeolite. The present research work was conducted to evaluate the potential effects of an endophytic bacterium Caulobacter sp. MN13 in combination with zeolite on the physiology, growth, quality, and yield of sesame plant under normal and Ni stressed soil conditions through possible reduction of Ni uptake. Surface sterilized sesame seeds were sown in pots filled with artificially Ni contaminated soil amended with zeolite. Results revealed that plant agronomic attributes such as shoot root dry weight, total number of pods, and 1000-grains weight were increased by 41, 45, 54, and 65%, respectively, over control treatment, with combined application of bacteria and zeolite in Ni contaminated soil. In comparison to control, the gaseous exchange parameters (CO 2 assimilation rate, transpiration rate, stomatal- sub-stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, and vapor pressure) were significantly enhanced by co-application of bacteria and zeolite ranging from 20 to 49% under Ni stress. Moreover, the combined utilization of bacteria and zeolite considerably improved water relations of sesame plant, in terms of relative water content (RWC) and relative membrane permeability (RMP) along with improvement in biochemical components (protein, ash, crude fiber, fat), and micronutrients in normal as well as in Ni contaminated soil. Moreover, the same treatment modulated the Ni-stress in plants through improvement in antioxidant enzymes (AEs) activities along with improved Ni concentration in the soil and different plant tissues. Correlation and principal component analysis (PCA) further revealed that combined application of metal-tolerant bacterium Caulobacter sp. MN13 and zeolite is the most influential strategy in alleviating Ni-induced stress and subsequent improvement in growth, yield, and physio-biochemical attributes of sesame plant.

Keywords: Ni-contaminated soil; sesame; zeolite; Caulobacter sp. MN13; metal tolerant microbe; in situ immobilization; phytoremediation (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 (2)

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