Calcium and Potassium Supplementation Enhanced Growth, Osmolyte Secondary Metabolite Production, and Enzymatic Antioxidant Machinery in Cadmium-Exposed Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

This work examined the role of exogenously applied calcium (Ca; 50 mM) and potassium (K; 10 mM) (alone and in combination) in alleviating the negative effects of cadmium (Cd; 200 μM) on growth, biochemical attributes, secondary metabolites and yield of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Cd stress significantly decreased the length and weight (fresh and dry) of shoot and root and yield attributes in terms of number of pods and seed yield (vs. control). Exhibition of decreases in chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl b, and total Chl was also observed with Cd-exposure when compared to control. However, Cd-exposure led to an increase in the content of carotenoids. In contrast, the exogenous application of Ca and K individually as well as in combination minimized the extent of Cd-impact on previous traits. C. arietinum seedlings subjected to Cd treatment exhibited increased contents of organic solute (proline, Pro) and total protein; whereas, Ca and K-supplementation further enhanced the Pro and total protein content. Additionally, compared to control, Cd-exposure also caused elevation in the contents of oxidative stress markers (hydrogen peroxidase, H2O2; malondialdehyde, MDA) and in the activity of antioxidant defense enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; ascorbate peroxidase, APX; glutathione reductase, GR). Ca, K, and Ca + K supplementation caused further enhancements in the activity of these enzymes but significantly decreased contents of H2O2 and MDA, also that of Cd accumulation in shoot and root. The contents of total phenol, flavonoid and mineral elements (S, Mn, Mg, Ca and K) that were also suppressed in Cd stressed plants in both shoot and root were restored to appreciable levels with Ca- and K-supplementation. However, the combination of Ca + K supplementation was more effective in bringing the positive response as compared to individual effect of Ca and K on Cd-exposed C. arietinum. Overall, this investigation suggests that application of Ca and/or K can efficiently minimize Cd-toxicity and eventually improve health and yield in C. arietinum by the cumulative outcome of the enhanced contents of organic solute, secondary metabolites, mineral elements, and activity of antioxidant defense enzymes.

Contrasting cadmium resistance strategies in two metallicolous populations of Arabidopsis halleri

“…This suggests that CNGC3 and CNGC12 , whose proteins in A. thaliana localized to the plasma membrane, may play a role in Cd‐stress tolerance through the regulation of K and Ca cation homeostasis, respectively (Li et al ., ; Ahmad et al ., ). Ca and K have indeed a positive effect on the activity of antioxidant defence enzymes and decrease the content of H 2 O 2 in plants treated with Cd (Ahmad et al ., ).…”

Influences of calcium silicate on chemical forms and subcellular distribution of cadmium in Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.

“…There is increasing evidence that silicon can mitigate the heavy metals damage in photosynthetic system of plants such as barley30, cucumber31 and cotton32. Silicate addition was reported to increase phosphate desorption in soil and increase plants uptake of phosphate33 which contributes to pigments biosynthesis34. Simultaneously, calcium (Ca) is an important factor affecting photosythesis process.…”

Efectos del cadmio sobre el crecimiento y la composición elemental de la alfalfa en cultivo de arena

“…Sin embargo, la prueba no paramétrica de Friedman arrojó diferencias significativas entre los tratamientos para las tres variables discutidas. El efecto negativo de la aplicación de Cd sobre el crecimiento de las plantas ha sido comúnmente documentado en alfalfa (Dražić et al, 2006;Ghnaya et al, 2015;Ibekwe et al, 1996;Motesharezadeh et al, 2010) y otras especies vegetales (Ahmad et al, 2016;Arshad et al, 2016;Astolfi et al, 2014;Borišev et al, 2016;Dias et al, 2013;Eller y Brix, 2016;Gill et al, 2012;Gomes et al, 2013;Li et al, 2016;Pérez-Romero et al, 2016;Sebastian y Prasad, 2015;Yang et al, 2016;Zhang et al, 2014). Por otra parte, el cociente de materia seca de parte aérea a raíces aumentó en un 18 % al aplicar la dosis mas alta de Cd y no alcanzó significación estadística.…”