Bacillus subtilis enhances maize yield by restricting cadmium translocation and modulating ion homeostasis.
Ahmad H, Mao JY, Khan R, Shah MA, Khan K
Phytoremediation
Cadmium from industrial runoff and certain fertilizers quietly builds up in agricultural soil and can end up in the corn you eat, but spreading a common soil bacterium may offer farmers a cheap, natural way to keep that contamination out of the food supply.
Scientists tested whether a harmless soil bacterium could protect corn from cadmium, a toxic heavy metal that pollutes farmland near industrial and mining sites. When added to contaminated soil, the bacterium acted like a shield — stopping cadmium from moving up into the corn plant and helping the plant maintain its normal internal chemistry. This meant corn could still grow and produce grain almost normally, even in soil so polluted it had been cutting plant growth by nearly half.
Key Findings
Cadmium at 25–50 mg/kg soil reduced maize height, shoot biomass, leaf area, chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic efficiency by 8–47%
Bacillus subtilis soil application significantly restricted cadmium translocation from roots to shoots, reducing accumulation in edible above-ground tissue
The bacterium restored antioxidant defenses and ion homeostasis in maize plants, recovering yield lost to cadmium-induced oxidative stress
chevron_right Technical Summary
A naturally occurring soil bacterium, Bacillus subtilis, protects corn plants from cadmium — a toxic heavy metal that accumulates in polluted farmland — by blocking the metal from moving into plant tissues and restoring normal mineral balance, thereby preserving crop yield even in contaminated soil.
Abstract Preview
Cadmium (Cd) pollution in soils severely impacts maize growth. This study investigates the potential application of Bacillus subtilis to soil (BSS) as a bioremediator to mitigate Cd-induced stress ...
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