Synergistic effect of chickpea plants and Mesorhizobium as a natural system for chromium phytoremediation.

VELEZ P; M.A. TALANO; PAISIO C.,; AGOSTINI E; GONZÁLES P

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2016 vol. 27 p. 1 - 9

0959-3330

The presence of chromium in soils not only affects the physiological processes of plants but also themicrobial rhizosphere composition and metabolic activities of microorganisms. Hence, theinoculation of plants with Cr(VI)-tolerant rhizospheric microorganisms as an alternative to reduceCr phytotoxicity was studied. In this work, chickpea germination was reduced by Cr(VI)concentrations of 150 and 250 mg/L (6 and 33%, respectively); however lower Cr(VI)concentrations negatively affected the biomass. On the other hand, its symbiont, Mesorhizobiumciceri, was able to grow and remove different Cr(VI) concentrations (5?20 mg/L). The inoculationof chickpea plants with this strain exposed to Cr(VI) showed a significantly enhanced plantgrowth. In addition, inoculated plants accumulated higher Cr concentration in roots than thosenoninoculated. It is important to note that Cr was not translocated to shoots independently ofinoculation. These results suggest that Mesorhizobium?s capability to remove Cr(VI) could beexploited for bioremediation. Moreover, chickpea plants would represent a natural system forphytoremediation or phytostabilization of Cr in situ that could be improved with M. ciceriinoculation. This strategy would be considered as a phytoremediation tool with great economicand ecological relevance.