Phytoextraction of Zn and Cd with Arabidopsis halleri: a focus on fertilization and biological amendment as a means of increasing biomass and Cd and Zn concentrations

Abstract

The current work aims to investigate the influence of fertilization (fertilizer) and fungal inoculation (Funneliformis mosseae and Serendipita indica (formerly Piriformospora indica), respectively arbuscular mycorrhizal (AMF) and endophytic fungi) on the phytoextraction potential of Arabidopsis halleri (L.) O'Kane & Al-Shehbaz (biomass yield and/or aboveground part Zn and Cd concentrations) over one life plant cycle. The mycorrhizal rates of A. halleri were measured in situ while the fungal inoculation experiments were carried out under controlled conditions. For the first time, it is demonstrated that the fertilizer used on A. halleri increased its biomass not only at the rosette stage but also at the flowering and fruiting stages. Fertilizer reduced the Zn concentration variability between developmental stages and increased the Cd concentration at fruiting stage. A. halleri roots did not show AMF colonization at any stage in our field conditions, neither in the absence nor in the presence of fertilizer, thus suggesting that A. halleri is not naturally mycorrhizal. Induced mycorrhization agreed with this result. However, S. indica has been shown to successfully colonize A. halleri roots under controlled conditions. This study confirms the benefit of using fertilizer to increase the phytoextraction potential of A. halleri. Overall, these results contribute to the future applicability of A. halleri in a phytomanagement strategy by giving information on its cultural itinerary.

Green and Effective Preparation of α-Hydroxyphosphonates by Ecocatalysis

“…In this work, as the source of biomass, we selected the abundant metal-hyperaccumulating plant, Arabidopsis halleri , growing on metal-contaminated slag heaps on post-mining sites in central and western Europe, which has been previously applied in phytoextraction of metal contaminated sites [ 74 , 75 ]. Arabidopsis halleri (L.) O’Kane and Al-Shehbaz (family Brassicaceae), referred hereafter as A. halleri , is considered one of the most prominent plant model species for its ability to tolerate and hyperaccumulate extremely high concentrations of zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) in its shoots [ 76 , 77 ].…”