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Enhanced uptake of Cd, Cr, and Cu in Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don by Bacillus cereus: application of moss and compost to reduce metal availability

  • Environmental Toxicology and Risks Associated with Human Health
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Abstract

Heavy metals (HMs) being the notorious and toxic are being introduced into the environment credited to natural and anthropogenic activities. The use of ornamental plants is being ignored as potential candidates for HMs phytoremediation. In this study, pot experiments were conducted on Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don to evaluate selected heavy metals tolerance and accumulation potential with reference to the bacterial endophyte (Bacillus cereus) and organic amendments (moss and compost at 5% v/v). Results indicated improvement in uptake of Cd (230 mg kg−1), Cu (229 mg kg−1), and Cr (458 mg kg−1) by C. roseus with B. cereus. The concentration of Ni and Pb was found highest in controls (without strain) that were 420 and 904 mg kg−1, respectively. Conversely, the addition of organic amendments enhanced biomass production, as compared to controls, 441, 471, and 763% by peat moss (T3), compost (T4), and peat moss + compost + inoculum treatments (T6), respectively, while reduction of plant HMs content was observed. Microbial-aided phytoremediation/phytoextraction could be a potential method for removal of Cd, Cr, and Cu, while organic amendments can significantly improve plant growth in the presence of heavy metals.

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Funding

The present study was financially supported by the specialized University Research Funds (URF) of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad.

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Author notes

  1. Muhammad Umair Mushtaq and Ameena Iqbal contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan

    Muhammad Umair Mushtaq, Ameena Iqbal, Sohail Yousaf, Aqib Hassan Ali Khan & Mazhar Iqbal

  2. Department of Bio Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad Campus, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Ismat Nawaz

  3. Department of Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Hail, Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Cyrus Raza Mirza

  4. Department of Computer Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Ghazanfar Farooq

  5. Department of Soil Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

    Muhammad Arif Ali

  6. Environment and Climate Change Section, Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Aqib Hassan Ali Khan

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  1. Muhammad Umair Mushtaq
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Mushtaq, M.U., Iqbal, A., Nawaz, I. et al. Enhanced uptake of Cd, Cr, and Cu in Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don by Bacillus cereus: application of moss and compost to reduce metal availability. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 39807–39818 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08839-5

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