Abstract
Phytoremediation is an effective way to reduce heavy metal content in agricultural soil. The effects of brackish water irrigation on phytoremediation efficiency of plants have not yet been completely understood. In this study, the effects of brackish water irrigation on cadmium (Cd) uptake by maize as the phytoremediator were investigated. In a pot experiment, maize seedlings were grown in soil with exogenously added Cd (0, 5, 10, or 15 mg kg−1) and irrigated with deionized water (T1), natural brackish water (T2), or water with NaCl with salinity equal to that of natural brackish water (T3). Salt stress and cation antagonism caused by brackish water affected maize plant growth and Cd uptake. Under 5, 10, and 15 mg kg−1 Cd, Cd accumulation in maize shoots was 5.55, 7.08, and 5.71 μg plant–1; 4.08, 3.04, and 5.38 μg plant–1; and 2.48, 3.44, and 5.33 μg plant–1 under the T1, T2, and T3 treatments, respectively. Cd accumulation in the shoots was significantly lower under the T2 and T3 treatments than under the T1 treatment at 5 and 10 mg kg−1 Cd; however, no significant differences were observed among all treatments at 15 mg kg−1 Cd. These findings indicated that phytoremediation efficiency decreased in response to both salt stress and cation antagonism caused by brackish water under low soil-Cd concentrations; however, this effect was negligible under high soil-Cd concentration. Therefore, brackish water irrigation can be considered for the phytoremediation of soils contaminated with high Cd levels to save freshwater resources.
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Funding
This research was funded by the Science and Technology Project of Hebei Education Department (grant No. BJ2021049), the foundation of Hebei University of Environmental Engineering (grant No.2023XJKT12), and the S&T Program of Qinhuangdao (202101A103). We thank Liwen Bianji, Edanz Group China (www.liwenbianji.cn/ac), for editing the English text of a draft of this manuscript.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, pot experiments, and sample collection were performed by XT, YH, and JZ. Data collection and analysis were performed by XT, YL, and YS. The first draft of the manuscript was written by XT and YH, and all authors provided insights on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Hao, Y., Zhang, J., Liang, Y. et al. Effect of brackish water irrigation on cadmium migration in a soil–maize system. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 12995–13002 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32041-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-32041-6