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The Role of Iron Plaque in Miscanthus sacchariflorus Seedling Growth, Cadmium Uptake, and Translocation

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Abstract

The role of iron plaque in Miscanthus sacchariflorus seedling growth and cadmium ion (Cd2+) uptake, translocation, and tolerance was explored. The seedlings were cultivated for 10 d in half-strength Hoagland’s nutrient solution containing 0 mg L−1, 1.0 mg L−1, 5.0 mg L−1, 10.0 mg L−1, and 20.0 mg L−1 Cd2+ after iron plaque formation induced by 30 mg L−1 ferrous ion (Fe2+). Most of the Cd2+ were immobilized in the plant roots, and its concentration increased by 760.52–1872.01% in the non-induced and by 230.29–661.01% in the induced groups compared to the control. Compared with the non-induced group, in the induced group, Cd2+ concentration in the roots decreased by 33.30–42.68%, and a similar tendency was also observed in the shoots. Iron plaque formation could effectively contribute to Cd2+ uptake and immobilization, and Cd2+ concentration increased by 96.78–99.04% compared to the control. This process accounted for the decreased Cd2+ concentration in the roots, indicating the iron plaque functioned as a barrier against Cd2+ entering into the roots. When the seedlings were exposed to Cd2+ for 15 d, the translocation factor for Cd2+ in the induced group increased by 32.50–42.03% in comparison with that in the non-induced group, indicating the plaque significantly facilitated Cd2+ translocation from roots to shoots. The iron plaque eliminated the negative effects of higher Cd2+ concentration on shoot biomass as observed in the induced group and could maintain the Cd2+ tolerance of the seedlings.

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Data Availability

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the support provided by the Advanced Analysis and Testing Center (AATC) of Nanjing Forestry University. We also thank LetPub (www.letpub.com) for its linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript.

Funding

The present investigation was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30972408), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020M671509), and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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  1. Jianpan Xin and Jinyun Tang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Landscape Architecture, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, Jiangsu, China

    Jianpan Xin, Jinyun Tang, Runan Tian, Yali Liu, Jiefeng Liu & Yuhan Nie

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  1. Jianpan Xin
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  2. Jinyun Tang
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Correspondence to Runan Tian.

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Xin, J., Tang, J., Tian, R. et al. The Role of Iron Plaque in Miscanthus sacchariflorus Seedling Growth, Cadmium Uptake, and Translocation. Water Air Soil Pollut 233, 32 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05502-2

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