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Phytomanagement of Cd-contaminated soils using maize (Zea mays L.) assisted by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria

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Abstract

Zea mays (L.) is a crop widely cultivated throughout the world and can be considered suitable for phytomanagement due to its metal resistance and energetic value. In this study, the effect of two plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, Ralstonia eutropha and Chryseobacterium humi, on growth and metal uptake of Z. mays plants in soils contaminated with up to 30 mg Cd kg−1 was evaluated. Bacterial inoculation increased plant biomass up to 63 % and led to a decrease of up to 81 % in Cd shoot levels (4–88 mg Cd kg−1) and to an increase of up to 186 % in accumulation in the roots (52–134 mg Cd kg−1). The rhizosphere community structure changed throughout the experiment and varied with different levels of Cd soil contamination, as revealed by molecular biology techniques. Z. mays plants inoculated with either of the tested strains may have potential application in a strategy of soil remediation, in particular short-term phytostabilization, coupled with biomass production for energy purposes.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and Fundo Social Europeu (III Quadro Comunitário de apoio), research grants to Helena Moreira (SFRH/BD/64584/2009), Ana Marques (SFRH/BPD/34585/2007), and Albina Franco (SFRH/BD/47722/2008), and by national funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia under the project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0016/2011.

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  1. CBQF—Centro de Biotecnologia e Química Fina - Laboratório Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa/Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal

    Helena Moreira, Ana P. G. C. Marques, Albina R. Franco, António O. S. S. Rangel & Paula M. L. Castro

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  1. Helena Moreira
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  2. Ana P. G. C. Marques
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  3. Albina R. Franco
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  5. Paula M. L. Castro
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Correspondence to Paula M. L. Castro.

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Moreira, H., Marques, A.P.G.C., Franco, A.R. et al. Phytomanagement of Cd-contaminated soils using maize (Zea mays L.) assisted by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 9742–9753 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2848-1

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