Improvement in soil and sorghum health following the application of polyacrylate polymers to a Cd-contaminated soil.
Contamination of soils with cadmium (Cd) is a serious global issue due to its high mobility and toxicity. We investigated the application of insoluble polyacrylate polymers to improve soil and plant health. Sorghum was grown in a Cd-contaminated sandy soil. Polyacrylate polymers at 0.2% (w/w) were added to half of the soil. Control soil without plants was also included in the experiment. Growth of sorghum was stimulated in the polymer-amended soil. The concentration of Cd in the shoots, and the activities of catalase and ascorbate peroxidase decreased in plants from polymer-amended soil compared with unamended control. The amount of CaCl(2)-extractable Cd in the polymer-amended soil was 55% of that in the unamended soil. The Cd extracted in sorghum shoots was 0.19 mg per plant grown on soil without polymer and 0.41 mg per plant grown on polymer-amended soil. The total amount of Cd removed from each pot corresponded to 1.5 and more than 6% of soil CaCl(2)-extractable Cd in unamended and polymer-amended soil, respectively. The activities of soil acid phosphatase, beta-glucosidase, urease, protease and cellulase were greatest in polymer-amended soil with sorghum. In conclusion, the application of polyacrylate polymers to reduce the bioavailable Cd pool seems a promising method to enhance productivity and health of plants grown on Cd-contaminated soils.
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon (TULisbon), Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisboa, Portugal.
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Q
Guiwei
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A
de Varennes
L L
LL
Martins
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MP
Mourato
A I
AI
Cardoso
A M
AM
Mota
A P
AP
Pinto
M L
ML
Gonçalves
D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D060387:Ascorbate Peroxidases; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D002480:Cellulase / Q000378:metabolism; D010544:Peroxidases / Q000378:metabolism; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D045868:Sorghum / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D014510:Urease / Q000378:metabolism; D001617:beta-Glucosidase / Q000378:metabolism
D000180:Acrylic Resins; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium; D010544:Peroxidases; D060387:Ascorbate Peroxidases; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D000135:Acid Phosphatase; D001617:beta-Glucosidase; D002480:Cellulase; D014510:Urease