Abstract
Continuous application of phosphate fertilizer and bio-solids leads to cadmium (Cd) accumulation in agricultural soil. Acidic soil environment makes the situation worsen due to the conversion of higher soil Cd to plant available form. Therefore, identifying effective and economical methods to reduce the bioavailability of soil Cd is imperative. This pot experiment was conducted in an acidic soil (pH 5.69) with three different soil additives [biochar, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and ZnSO4] under three levels (6, 12 and 18 mg kg−1) of Cd on common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Falguni). Biochar and ZnSO4 were mixed with soil at 5.5 and 0.1 Mg ha−1, respectively, before seed sowing, while PGPR was applied as a seed coating. A significant reduction in plant morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters and soil chemical and biological properties was recorded with increasing Cd levels. Biochar, PGPR and ZnSO4 addition resulted in substantial improvement in the studied plant and soil parameters in Cd-treated soil by significantly reducing the bioavailability of soil Cd. ZnSO4 addition recorded improved (51%) plant growth in terms of total biomass with lower (57% shoot and 42% reduction in root) plant accumulation of Cd. The highest reduction in bioavailability of soil Cd was recorded with the application of biochar (34–97% reduction) compared with ZnSO4 (14–89%). Though application of PGPR reduced the Cd bioavailability to 94% at the lowest contamination, it increased Cd bioavailability by 2% at the highest level of contamination. Thus, biochar application (5.5 Mg ha−1) as soil additive is an effective means to mitigate Cd toxicity in acidic soils.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adam G, Duncan H (2001) Development of a sensitive and rapid method for the measurement of total microbial activity using fluorescein diacetate (FDA) in a range of soil. Soil Biol Biochem 33:943–951
Ahemad M, Kibret M (2014) Mechanisms and applications of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria: current perspective. J King Saud Univ Sci 26:1–20
Anderson JM, Boardman NK (1964) Isolation of spinach chloroplast of particles containing different proportions of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b and their possible role in the light reactions of photosynthesis. Nature 203:166–167
Association of Official Analytical Chemists (1990) AOAC official methods of analysis, 15th edn. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington
Balashouri P (1995) Effect of zinc on germination, growth and pigment content and phytomass of Vigna radiata and Sorghum bicolor. J Ecobiol 7:109–114
Beesley L, Moreno-Jiménez E, Gomez-Eyles JL, Harris E, Robinson B, Sizmur T (2011) A review of biochars’ potential role in the remediation, revegetation and restoration of contaminated soils. Environ Pollut 159(12):3269–3282
Gallego SM, Pena LB, Barcia RA, Azpilicueta CE, Iannone MF, Rosales EP, Zawonznik MS, Groppa MD, Benavides MP (2012) Unravelling cadmium toxicity and tolerance in plants: insight into regulatory mechanisms. Environ Exper Bot 83:33–46
Gomes NCM, Landi L, Smalla K, Nannipieri P, Brookes PC, Renella G (2010) Effects of Cd- and Zn-enriched sewage sludge on soil bacterial and fungal communities. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 73:1255–1263
Jiang J, Xu RK, Jiang TY, Li Z (2012) Immobilization of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) by the addition of rice straw derived biochar to a simulated polluted Ultisol. J Hazard Mater 229–230:145–150
Kurzawova V, Stursa P, Uhlik O, Norkova K, Strohalm M, Lipov J (2012) Plant-microorganism interactions in bioremediation of polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated soil. New Biotechnol 30:15–22
Lavoie I, Lavoie M, Fortin C (2012) A mine of information: benthic algal com-munities as biomonitors of metal contamination from abandoned tailings. Sci Total Environ 425:231–241
Monteiro C, Santos C, Pinho S, Oliveira H, Pedrosa T, Dias MC (2012) Cadmium-induced cyto-and genotoxicity are organ-dependent in lettuce. Chem Res Toxicol 25(7):1423–1434
Navarro-Leon E, Albacete A, Torre-Gonzalez A, Ruiz JM, Blasco B (2016) Phytohormone profile in Lactuca sativa and Brassica oleracea plants grown under Zn deficiency. Phytochemistry 130:85–89
Nies DH (1999) Microbial heavy-metal resistance. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 51(6):730–750
Page AL, Miller RH, Keeney DR (1982) Methods of soil analysis. Part 2. Soil Science Society of America, Madison
Santos D, Duarte B, Caçador I (2015) Biochemical and photochemical feedbacks of acute Cd toxicity in Juncus acutus seedlings: the role of non-functional Cd-chlorophylls. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 167:228–239
Sarma B, Buragohain S, Nath DJ, Gogoi N (2016) Temporal responses of soil biological characteristics to organic inputs and mineral fertilizers under wheat cultivation in inceptisol. Arch Agron Soil Sci. https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2016.1179385
Sarma B, Borkotoki B, Narzari R, Kataki R, Gogoi N (2017) Organic amendments: effect on carbon mineralization and crop productivity in acidic soil. J Clean Prod 152:157–166
Shapiro L, Brannock WW (1962) Rapid analysis of silicate, carbonate, and phosphate rocks. US Geol Surv Bull 1144A:56
Tabatabai MA (1982) Soil enzymes. In: Page AL, Miller RH, Keeney DR (eds) Methods of soil analysis, part 2. Academic Press, New York
Tabatabai MA, Bremner JM (1969) Use of p-nitrophenyl phosphate for assay of phosphatase activity. Soil Biol Biochem 1:301–307
Tabatabai MA, Bremner JM (1970) Arylsulfatase activity of soils. Soil Sci Soc Am Proc 34:225–229
Tessier A, Campbell PGC, Bisson M (1979) Sequential extraction procedure for the speciation of particulate trace metals. Anal Chem 51:844–851
Vaccari FP, Baronti S, Lugato E, Genesio L, Castaldi S, Fornasier F, Miglietta F (2011) Biochar as a strategy to sequester carbon and increase yield in durum wheat. Eur J Agron 34:231–238
Van Herwijnen R, Laverye T, Poole J, Hodson ME, Hutchings TR (2007) The effect of organic materials on the mobility and toxicity of metals in contaminated soils. Appl Geochem 22:2422–2434
Vance ED, Brookcs PC, Jenkinson DS (1987) Microbial biomass measurements in forest soils: determination of kc values and tests of hypotheses to explain the failure of the chloroform fumigation incubation method in acid soils. Soil Biol Biochem 19:689–696
Venegas A, Rigol A, Vidal M (2015) Viability of organic wastes and biochars as amendments for the remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils. Chemosphere 119:190–198
Verbruggen N, Hermans C, Schat H (2009) Mechanisms to cope with arsenic or cadmium excess in plants. Curr Opin Plant Biol 12:364–372
Vig K, Megharaj M, Sethunathan N, Naidu R (2003) Bioavailability and toxicity of cadmium to microorganisms and their activities in soil: a review. Adv Environ Res 8:121–135
Yang Y, Zhang F, Li H, Jiang R (2009) Accumulation of cadmium in the edible parts of six vegetable species grown in Cd-contaminated soils. J Environ Manag 90:1117–1122
Acknowledgements
We are thankful to Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Nagaon, for providing the seeds for the research along with Tezpur University, Napaam, and Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat, for providing us the facility to conduct the study. We are also indebted to Sophisticated Analytical Instrumentation Centre (SAIC), Tezpur University, Assam, for providing the instrumentation facility required for this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Editorial responsibility: Josef Trögl.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mondal, S.C., Sarma, B., Farooq, M. et al. Cadmium bioavailability in acidic soils under bean cultivation: role of soil additives. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 17, 153–160 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-019-02263-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-019-02263-0