Exploring the synergistic effects of indole acetic acid (IAA) and compost in the phytostabilization of nickel (Ni) in cauliflower rhizosphere

作者：Raheel S. Khan, Muhammad Junaid Sarwar, Muhammad Shabaan, Hafiz Naeem Asghar, Usman Zulfiqar, Irfan Iftikhar, Nazish Aijaz, Fasih Ullah Haider, T. N. Chaudhary, Walid Soufan · 发表于：BMC Plant Biology · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1186/s12870-024-04920-0 · 被引用次数：17 · 研究领域：Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance、Plant Growth Enhancement Techniques、Seedling growth and survival studies

Abstract Heavy metals (HMs) contamination, owing to their potential links to various chronic diseases, poses a global threat to agriculture, environment, and human health. Nickel (Ni) is an essential element however, at higher concentration, it is highly phytotoxic, and affects major plant functions. Beneficial roles of plant growth regulators (PGRs) and organic amendments in mitigating the adverse impacts of HM on plant growth has gained the attention of scientific community worldwide. Here, we performed a greenhouse study to investigate the effect of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA @ 10 − 5 M) and compost (1% w/w) individually and in combination in sustaining cauliflower growth and yield under Ni stress. In our results, combined application proved significantly better than individual applications in alleviating the adverse effects of Ni on cauliflower as it increased various plant attributes such as plant height (49%), root length (76%), curd height and diameter (68 and 134%), leaf area (75%), transpiration rate (36%), stomatal conductance (104%), water use efficiency (143%), flavonoid and phenolic contents (212 and 133%), soluble sugars and protein contents (202 and 199%), SPAD value (78%), chlorophyll ‘a and b’ (219 and 208%), carotenoid (335%), and NPK uptake (191, 79 and 92%) as compared to the control. Co-application of IAA and compost reduced Ni-induced electrolyte leakage (64%) and improved the antioxidant activities, including APX (55%), CAT (30%), SOD (43%), POD (55%), w...