Endophytic and rhizospheric bacterial consortia from Peganum harmala alleviate lead phytotoxicity and enhance durum wheat growth in heavy metal-contaminated soils.
Akrout K, Dekak A, Souahi H, Allani M, Nasri K
Phytoremediation
Contaminated soil near old industrial sites, roads, or dumped waste can quietly pass lead into food crops — but coating wheat seeds with the right mix of wild soil bacteria may be enough to break that chain.
Researchers collected naturally occurring bacteria from the roots and stems of a tough desert plant called wild rue, which is known to survive in polluted soils. They mixed these bacteria into groups and applied them to wheat seeds grown in soil spiked with high levels of lead. The treated wheat germinated fully, grew heavier, and produced more protective plant compounds — while the bacteria helped neutralize the lead in the soil.
Key Findings
Wheat germination reached 100% in lead-contaminated soil when treated with bacterial consortia, versus lower rates in untreated controls.
Aerial fresh weight increased by up to 78.3% and flavonoid content by up to 50.6% compared to untreated wheat in the same contaminated soil.
Bacteria isolated from both the rhizosphere (root zone) and endosphere (inside plant tissue) of Peganum harmala showed combined plant-growth-promotion and heavy-metal resistance traits.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Soil bacteria found living inside and around a drought-hardy desert plant can dramatically improve wheat growth in lead-contaminated soil — and clean up that lead at the same time. This offers a low-cost, biology-based solution for restoring farmland poisoned by heavy metals.
Abstract Preview
Heavy metal contamination poses a serious threat to agricultural sustainability, particularly in arid regions where soil and crop quality are easily compromised. This study evaluated the potential ...
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Peganum harmala, commonly called wild rue, Syrian rue, African rue, esfand or espand, or harmel, is a perennial, herbaceous plant, with a woody underground rootstock, of the family Nitrariaceae, usually growing in saline soils in temperate desert and Mediterranean regions. Its common English-lang...