Effect of selenium and compost on physiological, biochemical, and productivity of chili under chromium stress

作者：Fahad Ahmad, Sabiha Javied, Kamran Ashraf, Aamir Amanat Ali Khan, Zeeshan Ahmed, Khawar Sultan, Ijaz Ali, Qamar Zaman, Ghulam Murtaza, Abd El‐Zaher M. A. Mustafa, Mohamed S. Elshikh, Rashid Iqbal, Nazim S. Gruda · 发表于：Scientific Reports · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1038/s41598-025-95012-y · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：Selenium in Biological Systems、Heavy metals in environment、Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance

Abstract In the era of industrialization, chromium (Cr) as a metal poses a substantial threat to the ecosystem. Selenium (Se) is essential for minimizing heavy metal stress in crops and effectively reducing their accumulation in edible plant parts. This research work aimed to evaluate the synergistic effect of compost and Se for alleviation of Cr stress in chili plants. A greenhouse trail was conducted to investigate the individual and combined effects of foliage applied selenium (Na 2 SeO 4 = 3 µM) and soil applied compost (250 mg kg −1 , w/w) on the growth, physio-biochemical, antioxidant and of chili grown under varying levels of induced Cr stress (0, 100, and 200 mg kg −1 using K 2 Cr 2 O 7 ). Findings revelaed that a significant linear reduction was observed in growth, biomass, and physiological parameters of chili plant with an increasing level of Cr concentrations. Maximum decrease in relative water content (20.04 and 27.21%) and total chlorophyll concentrations (11.73 and 20.57%) and increased in electrolyte leakage (59.14 and 130.52%) was observed at 100 and 200 mg kg −1 of Cr levels in soil in comparison with the control, respectively. Combined application of compost and selenium showed significant increase regardless of Cr concentrations in the soil. Synergistic approach of compost and selenium showed improved growth in comparison with the sole application in limiting the movement and uptake of Cr in the roots and fruits of chili plants. Moreover, improved physiolo...