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Ammonium enhances the uptake, bioaccumulation, and tolerance of phenanthrene in cucumber seedlings

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Abstract

Aims

Phenanthrene is one of the ubiquitous, persistent organic pollutants commonly found in soil and sediments. The study will provide insight regarding the feasibility of nitrogen-assisted phytoremediation.

Methods

To study the effects of various nitrogen forms on cucumber seedling phenanthrene tolerance, hydroponic experiments were conducted in a greenhouse.

Results

Under phenanthrene stress, decreases in plant growth and biomass were more pronounced with a nitrate supply than with ammonium. In addition, phenanthrene concentrations in plants fed with ammonium were higher than those fed with nitrate. The reduction in plant protein and sugar, increases in nitrogen and phosphate concentrations, and increased activity of antioxidative enzymes may contribute to the phenanthrene stress response and adaptation. Higher peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities were found in ammonium-fed plants as compared to nitrate-fed plants under phenanthrene stress. Moreover, the reduction in soluble protein content and increases in phenanthrene transport and accumulation in non-photosynthetic organs may enable ammonium-fed plants to adapt more effectively to adverse conditions.

Conclusions

Overall, these results suggest that ammonium nutrition could provide a useful tool to improve the growth and adaption of plants under phenanthrene stress.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Special Fund for the Agricultural Profession(200803030), the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (2011AA100508) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31172020).Two anonymous reviewers are greatly acknowledged for their valuable comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China

    Xinping Yang, Shiwei Guo & Lingling Guo

  2. Key Laboratory of Oasis Eco-Agriculture, College of Agriculture, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832003, China

    Changzhou Wei

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  1. Xinping Yang
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  2. Shiwei Guo
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  3. Lingling Guo
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  4. Changzhou Wei
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Correspondence to Changzhou Wei.

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Responsible Editor: Bernard Glick.

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Yang, X., Guo, S., Guo, L. et al. Ammonium enhances the uptake, bioaccumulation, and tolerance of phenanthrene in cucumber seedlings. Plant Soil 354, 185–195 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-1054-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-1054-x

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