Gypsum soil treatment helps corn shake off nickel pollution
Zia-Ur-Rehman M, Hassan RA, Usman M, Maqsood A, Aslam H
Phytoremediation
If you garden near old industrial sites, roadways, or areas with heavy fertilizer or sludge use, a simple gypsum soil amendment could be the difference between stunted, stressed plants and a thriving harvest.
Nickel pollution in soil, often from factories, fertilizers, or sewage sludge, stresses out plants and stunts their growth. Researchers found that mixing calcium-based amendments like gypsum into contaminated soil ties up the nickel so corn plants can't absorb as much of it, while also helping the plants ramp up their internal defenses against stress. The best results came from gypsum at 0.6% calcium, which led to bigger roots and shoots, greener leaves, and healthier photosynthesis compared to untreated contaminated soil.
Key Findings
Gypsum applied at 0.6% calcium was the most effective treatment, outperforming lime and lower gypsum rates across all measures.
Both lime and gypsum reduced nickel bioavailability in soil, cutting nickel uptake and accumulation in maize tissues.
Gypsum treatment increased root and shoot biomass, chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic gas exchange while boosting antioxidant enzyme activity and osmolyte production to counter oxidative stress.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Adding calcium-rich gypsum to nickel-polluted soil helps corn plants grow better by locking up the toxic metal and boosting the plant's own stress defenses, offering a cheap fix for contaminated farmland.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Unravelling the protective mechanism: calcium alleviates nickel toxicity in maize (Zea mays) by modulating osmolytes and antioxidant systems.
Nickel (Ni) toxicity in agricultural soils, stemming from industrial activities, fertiliser use, and sewage sludge, severely disrupts plant growth by inducing oxidative stress. Calcium-based soil a...
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Maize, also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. The leafy stalk of the plant gives rise to male inflorescences or tassels which produce pollen, and female inflorescences called ears. The ears yield grain, known as kernels or seeds. In modern ...