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Influence of Metal-Resistant Rhizobacteria on the Growth of Helianthus annuus L. in Cr(VI)-Contaminated Soil

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Abstract

Use of heavy metal-tolerant bacteria for bioremediation is an environmentally safe and economical approach. Selected chromium-tolerant bacteria were tested in a greenhouse experiment. Different sets of pots were contaminated with three rates of Cr, i.e., 20, 30, and 40 ppm, using K2Cr2O7 and incubated for 1 month. Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seeds of Hysun-33 variety were inoculated with already screened Cr-tolerant bacteria (SS1, SS3, and SS6) along with un-inoculated seeds as control. Completely randomized design was used and two plants per pot were maintained after thinning. At harvesting, fresh as well as dry shoot and root weights were measured. Shoot and root samples were analyzed for Cr contents. The maximum increase in dry shoot and root weight (58 and 63%) was obtained by SS6 followed by SS1 (48 and 42%) and SS3 (37 and 47%) over control at various Cr concentrations. Cr accumulation in shoot and root was also enhanced by all the bacteria compared to control. Regarding the extent of total Cr uptake, SS6 enhanced Cr accumulation up to 107–171%, SS1 99.3–135%, and SS3 91–138% at 20, 30, and 40 ppm Cr, respectively. It is concluded from the study that there was a decreasing trend in growth with the increase of Cr concentration. All the bacteria improved growth and Cr accumulation significantly over control; however, SS6 found best among all Cr-tolerant bacteria. These bacteria can effectively be used for crop improvement and bioremediation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC) and Hazara University Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, for providing research facilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Hazara University, Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

    Ali Bahadur, Aftab Afzal, Fahad Nasir & Aman Khan

  2. Land Resources Research Institute, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad, 45500, Pakistan

    Rizwan Ahmad & Muhammad Mahmood-ul-Hassan

  3. NIGAB, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad, 45500, Pakistan

    Muhammad Amir Zia

  4. Plant Physiology/Chemistry Section, Central Cotton Research Institute Sakrand, Sindh, Pakistan

    Vishandas Suthar

  5. Department of Botany, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, Pakistan

    Gul Jan

  6. Department of Botany, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan

    Asfa Batool

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  1. Ali Bahadur
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  2. Aftab Afzal
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  9. Muhammad Amir Zia
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  10. Muhammad Mahmood-ul-Hassan
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Correspondence to Ali Bahadur.

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Bahadur, A., Afzal, A., Ahmad, R. et al. Influence of Metal-Resistant Rhizobacteria on the Growth of Helianthus annuus L. in Cr(VI)-Contaminated Soil. Water Air Soil Pollut 227, 467 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-016-3174-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-016-3174-7

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