Soil bacteria plus a plant hormone cut cadmium in rice
Yan C, Liu J, Ma S, Cheng Z, Xu H
Phytoremediation
If you grow vegetables in soil near old roads, industrial sites, or treated lumber, this points to a living, biological way to lock up heavy metals in the dirt before your plants can absorb them.
Rice grown in cadmium-contaminated soil tends to soak up the toxic metal into the grains people eat. Researchers found that adding a beneficial soil bacterium called Streptomyces, especially alongside a natural plant hormone called jasmonic acid, changes the mix of microbes living around rice roots so they trap and detoxify more cadmium before the plant can take it up. The treated rice grew better, handled stress more efficiently, and ended up with less cadmium in its tissues.
Key Findings
Streptomyces co-inoculation improved rice growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant defense, and reduced soil cadmium bioavailability
BacMet analysis identified 37 cadmium-related resistance genes, with the combined Streptomyces + jasmonic acid treatment selectively boosting core genes like czcA, czcP, zntA, and nccB
Jasmonic acid alone had limited effects on the rhizosphere microbiome but amplified Streptomyces-driven physiological and microbial responses when combined
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found that combining a soil bacterium called Streptomyces with a plant hormone (jasmonic acid) helps rice plants resist cadmium pollution by reshaping the microbial community around their roots, lowering the toxic metal's availability and reducing how much ends up in the rice itself.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Rhizosphere functional microbiome remodeling by Streptomyces and jasmonic acid mitigates cadmium accumulation in rice.
Cadmium (Cd) contamination poses a serious threat to rice production and food safety because of its high mobility in soil and its accumulation in edible rice tissues. Although beneficial microorgan...
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