Rhizosphere phosphorus and iron cycling accelerates manganese phytoextraction by Polygonum lapathifolium.
Tang C, Wan C, Gan J, He Z, Wei C
Phytoremediation
PubMedContaminated soil near old mines can leach manganese into waterways and vegetable gardens downhill — this discovery shows that adding a common soil bacterium could help clean that pollution using plants instead of expensive industrial methods.
Scientists tested what happens when they add a helpful bacterium to soil around pale smartweed, a plant that's naturally good at soaking up the metal manganese. The bacterium changed the chemistry right around the plant's roots, making phosphorus more available and unlocking more manganese from the soil so the plant could absorb it. This teamwork between plant and microbe could become a low-cost, nature-based way to clean up old mining sites.
Key Findings
Enterobacter sp. inoculation increased available phosphorus in the root zone by 26.7%
The bacterium lowered soil pH around the roots, which helps dissolve and mobilize manganese for plant uptake
Inoculation enhanced the activity of phosphorus-releasing enzymes in the rhizosphere, linking nutrient cycling directly to improved metal extraction
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers found that inoculating soil with a specific bacterium (Enterobacter sp.) helps a wetland plant called pale smartweed extract toxic manganese from mining-contaminated soils more effectively, by changing how phosphorus and iron behave in the root zone.
Abstract Preview
Manganese (Mn) contamination in mining soils poses persistent ecological risks due to its high mobility and potential accumulation in plants. Although exogenous microbial inoculation is increasingl...
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Persicaria lapathifolia, known as pale persicaria, is a plant of the family Polygonaceae. It is considered to be native throughout most of the world, from arctic to tropical realms, except South America and Southern Africa. It is closely related to Persicaria maculosa and as such is considered a ...