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The performance of mycorrhizae, rhizobacteria, and earthworms to improve Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) growth and Pb uptake in a Pb-contaminated soil

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Abstract

The current study was conducted to determine the combined performance of soil micro- and macro-organisms to stimulate the growth and lead (Pb) uptake of Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Persi.) in a soil polluted with Pb-mining activities. Plants were inoculated with a mixture of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal species, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) species, and epigeic earthworms (Eisenia fetida) either alone or in combination. Results demonstrated antagonistic interactions between AM fungi and PGPR or between AM fungi and earthworms on the growth of mycorrhizal plants by increasing the availability of both phosphorus (P) and Pb in the soil solution and the subsequent reduction of mycorrhizal root colonization following inoculation of PGPR or earthworms. Plant biomass was negatively correlated with soil-available Pb, but positively with the percentage of root colonization by AM fungi. Additionally, mycorrhizal root colonization was negatively correlated with soil-available P and Pb concentrations. The triple inoculation of AM fungi with PGPR and epigeic earthworms as a bioaugmentation tool could result in a synergistic interaction effect on plant Pb bioaccumulation and uptake, enhancing the efficiency of phytoremediation and eco-restoration of Pb-polluted sites. In conclusion, the use of Bermuda grass in association with functionally dissimilar soil organisms demonstrated a high effectiveness for Pb in situ phytoremediation, specifically Pb phytostabilization, to reduce Pb mobilization in the environment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors express their thanks to the three anonymous reviewers for their valuable and constructive comments.

Funding

The financial support for the research work reported in this paper was provided by Shahrekord University, Iran (grant number: 229748/30031394).

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  1. Department of Soil Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University, P.O. Box 115, Shahrekord, Iran

    Ali Mahohi & Fayez Raiesi

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  1. Ali Mahohi
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Correspondence to Ali Mahohi.

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Mahohi, A., Raiesi, F. The performance of mycorrhizae, rhizobacteria, and earthworms to improve Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) growth and Pb uptake in a Pb-contaminated soil. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 3019–3034 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10636-z

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