Effects of amendments on the alleviation of aluminum toxicity and cadmium and zinc uptake by Sedum plumbizincicola in acid soils

Abstract:

To explore the effects of some chemical amendments on the plant growth and phytoextraction efficiencies of cadmium (Cd)/zinc (Zn) hyper accumulator Sedum plumbizincicola in acid soils with high aluminum (Al) toxicity, a greenhouse pot experiment was conducted. Different kinds and dosages of amendments including calcium- magnesium-phosphorus fertilizer (CMP), magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) were added. The results showed that CMP and MgCO3 increased soil pH and decreased soil exchangeable Al concentration to some extent, while KH2PO4 reduced soil exchangeable Al concentration but had little effect on increasing soil pH. Proper application (9.39 mg/kg) of CMP could improve the biomass and Cd and Zn phytoextraction efficiencies by S. plumbizincicola but it would inhibit plant growth and phytoextraction performance when exceeding 9.39 mg/kg. MgCO3 addition enhanced plant metal uptake while KH2PO4 presented an opposite effect. It suggests that using CMP and MgCO3 could alleviate Al toxicity to S. plumbizincicola in acid soils and maintain relatively high metal extraction efficiency.