Silicon-Rich Biochar Detoxify Multiple Heavy Metals in Wheat by Regulating Oxidative Stress and Subcellular Distribution of Heavy Metal

Zheyong Li, Yajun Yuan, Luojing Xiang, Qu Su, Zhenyan Liu, Wenguang Wu, Yihao Huang and Shuxin Tu ()
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Zheyong Li: Hubei Provincial Academy of Eco-Environmental Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
Yajun Yuan: Department of Environmental Engineering Design, Hubei Urban Construction Design Institute Co., Ltd., Wuhan 430051, China
Luojing Xiang: Hubei Provincial Academy of Eco-Environmental Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
Qu Su: Hubei Provincial Academy of Eco-Environmental Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
Zhenyan Liu: Hubei Provincial Academy of Eco-Environmental Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
Wenguang Wu: Hubei Provincial Academy of Eco-Environmental Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
Yihao Huang: Hubei Provincial Academy of Eco-Environmental Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
Shuxin Tu: College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-17

Abstract: Silicon is a quasi-essential trace nutrient for plant growth and is frequently employed to remediate soils of heavy metal pollution in agriculture. However, silicon’s role and mechanism in reducing heavy metal toxicity have not been well understood, especially for multi-heavy metals such as cadmium, zinc, lead, and arsenic (usually treated as a heavy metal). In this study, the effects of different silicon-rich materials (silicate, rice husk biochar (RHB), and RHB + bentonite) on growth trait, antioxidant response, heavy metal accumulation, and distribution of wheat grown in two soils polluted by multiple heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Pb, and As) were investigated. The results revealed that the addition of silicon-rich materials enhanced plant growth, improved the photosynthetic attributes in leaf tissues, and decreased the contents of Cd, Zn, Pb, and As in wheat shoots and grains. The examination of the subcellular distribution of heavy metals in plants implied that silicon-rich materials transferred heavy metals as intracellular soluble fractions to the cell walls, indicating the reduction of mobility and toxicity of heavy metals in the plants. In addition, the application of the silicon-rich materials reduced oxidative damage in plants by downregulating plant antioxidant response systems and decreasing the production of malondialdehyde (MDA), ascorbic acid (AsA), and glutathione (GSH). Moreover, fractionation analysis of soil heavy metals showed that silicon-rich amendments could convert bioavailable heavy metals into immobilized forms. With the comparation of different silicon-rich materials, combined RHB and bentonite could better remediate multi-heavy metal-polluted soils and promote wheat production. The effect of the silicate component was stressed in this paper but some of the potential benefits might have arisen from other components of the biochar.

Keywords: silicon; heavy metals; oxidative stress; wheat; subcellular distribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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