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Elucidating Cd-mediated distinct rhizospheric and in planta ionomic and physio-biochemical responses of two contrasting Zea mays L. cultivars

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Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) in soil–plant system can abridge plant growth by initiating alterations in root zones. Hydroponics and rhizoboxes are useful techniques to monitor plant responses against various natural and/or induced metal stresses. However, soil based studies are considered more appropriate in order to devise efficient food safety and remediation strategies. The present research evaluated the Cd-mediated variations in elemental dynamics of rhizospheric soil together with in planta ionomics and morpho-physio-biochemical traits of two differentially Cd responsive maize cultivars. Cd-sensitive (31P41) and Cd-tolerant (3062) cultivars were grown in pots filled with 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 µg/kg CdCl2 supplemented soil. The results depicted that the maize cultivars significantly influenced the elemental dynamics of rhizosphere as well as in planta mineral accumulation under applied Cd stress. The uptake and translocation of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn and Fe from rhizosphere and root cell sap was significantly higher in Cd stressed cv. 3062 as compared to cv. 31P41. In sensitive cultivar (31P41), Cd toxicity resulted in significantly prominent reduction of biomass, leaf area, chlorophyll, carotenoids, protein contents as well as catalase activity in comparison to tolerant one (3062). Analysis of tolerance indexes (TIs) validated that cv. 3062 exhibited advantageous growth and efficient Cd tolerance due to elevated proline, phenolics and activity of antioxidative machinery as compared to cv. 31P41. The cv. 3062 exhibited 54% and 37% less Cd bio-concentration (BCF) and translocation factors (TF), respectively in comparison to cv. 31P41 under highest Cd stress regime. Lower BCF and TF designated a higher Cd stabilization by tolerant cultivar (3062) in rhizospheric zone and its potential use in future remediation plans.

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Acknowledgments

Provision of financial resources by Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan (Grant No: 20-4243/NRPU/R&D/HEC/14/885) is highly appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Faculty of Life Sciences, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan

    Saghir Abbas, Muhammad Tariq Javed, Qasim Ali, Muhammad Sohail Akram, Kashif Tanwir & Naeem Iqbal

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Government College University, Faisalabad, 38000, Pakistan

    Shafaqat Ali

  3. Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, Pakistan

    Hassan Javed Chaudhary

  4. Department of Biological Sciences and Technology, China Medical University, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan

    Shafaqat Ali

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  1. Saghir Abbas
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Contributions

Conceptualization, Muhammad Tariq Javed, Muhammad Sohail Akram, Shafaqat Ali, Data curation, Saghir Abbas, Muhammad Tariq Javed and Muhammad Sohail Akram; Formal analysis, Saghir Abbas, Qasim Ali, Naeem Iqbal, Muhammad Sohail Akram and Kashif Tanwir; Funding acquisition, Muhammad Tariq Javed Investigation, Saghir Abbas, Muhammad Sohail Akram and Hassan Javed Chaudhary; Methodology, Saghir Abbas, Muhammad Tariq Javed, Qasim Ali, Muhammad Sohail Akram and Kashif Tanwir; Project administration, Shafaqat Ali; Resources, Muhammad Tariq Javed, Shafaqat Ali, Naeem Iqbal, Hassan Javed Chaudhary; Software, Shafaqat Ali, Hassan Javed Chaudhary; Supervision, Muhammad Tariq Javed; Validation, Qasim Ali and Kashif Tanwir, Naeem Iqbal; Visualization, Saghir Abbas, Qasim Ali and Kashif Tanwir; Writing—original draft, Saghir Abbas, Muhammad Tariq Javed, Shafaqat Ali, Writing—review & editing, Saghir Abbas, Muhammad Tariq Javed, Kashif Tanwir, Naeem Iqbal, Muhammad Sohail Akram. The presented data is the part of MPhil research of Mr. Saghir Abbas.

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Correspondence to Muhammad Tariq Javed.

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Abbas, S., Javed, M.T., Ali, Q. et al. Elucidating Cd-mediated distinct rhizospheric and in planta ionomic and physio-biochemical responses of two contrasting Zea mays L. cultivars. Physiol Mol Biol Plants 27, 297–312 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12298-021-00936-0

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