Bacterial endophytes enhance phytostabilization in soils contaminated with uranium and lead |
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Authors: | Muhammad Tayyab Ahsan Muhammad Najam-ul-haq Muhammad Idrees Inayat Ullah Muhammad Afzal |
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Institution: | 1. Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, Islamabad, Pakistan;2. Division of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan;3. Division of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan;4. Soil and Environmental Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Pakistan |
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Abstract: | The combined use of plants and bacteria is a promising approach for the remediation of polluted soil. In the current study, the potential of bacterial endophytes in partnership with Leptochloa fusca (L.) Kunth was evaluated for the remediation of uranium (U)- and lead (Pb)-contaminated soil. L. fusca was vegetated in contaminated soil and inoculated with three different endophytic bacterial strains, Pantoea stewartii ASI11, Enterobacter sp. HU38, and Microbacterium arborescens HU33, individually as well as in combination. The results showed that the L. fusca can grow in the contaminated soil. Bacterial inoculation improved plant growth and phytoremediation capacity: this manifested in the form of a 22–51% increase in root length, 25–62% increase in shoot height, 10–21% increase in chlorophyll content, and 17–59% more plant biomass in U- and Pb-contaminated soils as compared to plants without bacterial inoculation. Although L. fusca plants showed potential to accumulate U and Pb in their root and shoot on their own, bacterial consortia further enhanced metal uptake capacity by 53–88% for U and 58–97% for Pb. Our results indicate that the combination of L. fusca and endophytic bacterial consortia can effectively be used for the phytostabilization of both U- and Pb-contaminated soils. |
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Keywords: | Leptochloa fusca heavy metals radionuclides endophytic bacteria phytostabilization |
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