Effects of biochar and biofertilizer on cadmium-contaminated cotton growth and the antioxidative defense system

• Published in: Scientific reports 2020-11, Vol.10 (1), p.20112, Article 20112
• Main Authors: Zhu, Yongqi, Wang, Haijiang, Lv, Xin, Zhang, Yutong, Wang, Weiju
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 631/443; 631/449; 704/172; Agriculture - methods; Antioxidants - metabolism; Cadmium - pharmacokinetics; Charcoal; Chlorophyll - metabolism; Enzymes - metabolism; Fertilizers; Gossypium - drug effects; Gossypium - growth & development; Gossypium - physiology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydroxybutyrates; Indoles; Malondialdehyde - metabolism; multidisciplinary; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Photosynthesis - drug effects; Photosynthesis - physiology; Plant Proteins - metabolism; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Soil Pollutants - pharmacokinetics; Tissue Distribution
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77142-7

Consistent use of large amounts of fertilizers, pesticides, and mulch can cause the accumulation of harmful substances in cotton plants. Among these harmful substances, cadmium (Cd), an undegradable element, stands out as being particularly highly toxic to plants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of biochar (3%) and biofertilizer (1.5%) to decrease Cd uptake, increase cotton dry weight, and modulate the activities of photosynthetic and peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase enzyme (CAT) in cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) grown in Cd-contaminated soil (0, 1, 2, or 4 mg Cd kg −1 soil) in pots. These studies showed that, as expected, exogenous Cd adversely affects cotton chlorophyll and photosynthesis. However, biochar and biofertilizer increased cotton dry weight by an average of 16.82% and 32.62%, respectively. Meanwhile, biochar and biofertilizer decreased the accumulation of Cd in cotton organs, and there was a significant reduction in the amount of Cd in bolls ( P