Department of Botany, St. John's College, Agra, U.P. 282 002, India.
School of Life Sciences and the Environment, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal; MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, 3000-517 Coimbra, Portugal.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2018 Feb;148:318-326. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2017.10.048. Epub 2017 Nov 6.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) aids in plant establishment at heavy metal(loid) (HM) contaminated soils, strengthening plant defense system along with promoting growth. A pot experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of AMF on eggplants grown under HM stress. Further, the potential health risks of HM exposure to the humans via dietary intake of eggplant were also estimated. Results showed that AMF application improved growth, biomass and antioxidative defense response of plants against HM stress. Significant difference (p ≤ 0.001) in parameters under study was found on increasing metal dose and on application of AMF. Among metal(loid)s maximum uptake was recorded for Pb (29.64mgkg in roots; 23.08mgkg in shoot) followed by As (3.84mgkg in roots; 8.20mgkg in shoot) and, Cd (0.96mgkg in roots; 2.12mgkg in shoot). Based on the accumulation of HM in edible part, Hazard Quotient (HQ) was calculated. HQ was found to be > 1 for Pb, which highlights the risks associated with consumption of Eggplants grown on Pb contaminated soil. However this potential, which was further enhanced by application of AMF, can be harnessed for on-site remediation of Pb contaminated soils. The content of Cd and As in the edible part was found to be within safe limits (HQ < 1) when compared to chronic reference dose stated by USEPA.
丛枝菌根真菌（AMF）有助于重金属（loid）污染土壤中植物的定植，增强植物防御系统的同时促进生长。进行了一项盆栽实验，以评估 AMF 对在重金属胁迫下生长的茄子的影响。此外，还通过食用茄子估计了人类通过饮食摄入重金属的潜在健康风险。结果表明，AMF 的应用改善了植物在重金属胁迫下的生长、生物量和抗氧化防御反应。研究参数在增加金属剂量和应用 AMF 时存在显著差异（p≤0.001）。在金属（loid）中，Pb 的吸收量最大（根部为 29.64mgkg；茎部为 23.08mgkg），其次是 As（根部为 3.84mgkg；茎部为 8.20mgkg）和 Cd（根部为 0.96mgkg；茎部为 2.12mgkg）。基于可食用部分中重金属的积累，计算了危害商数（HQ）。HQ 对于 Pb 大于 1，这突出了与食用在 Pb 污染土壤中生长的茄子相关的风险。然而，通过应用 AMF 进一步增强了这种潜力，可以利用它来原位修复 Pb 污染土壤。与美国环保署规定的慢性参考剂量相比，可食用部分中 Cd 和 As 的含量处于安全范围（HQ<1）。
