N-Fertilizer (Urea) Enhances the Phytoextraction of Cadmium through L.

Heavy metal contamination is currently a major environmental concern, as most agricultural land is being polluted from municipal discharge. Among various other pollutants, cadmium (Cd), one of the most harmful heavy metals, enters into the food chain through the irrigation of crops with an industrial effluent. In the present study, a pot experiment was designed to assess the effect of different nitrogen (N)-fertilizer forms in the phytoremediation of Cd through L. Two types of N fertilizers (NHNO and urea) were applied to the soil in different ratios (0:0, 100:0, 0:100, and 50:50 of NHNO and urea, individually) along with different Cd levels (0, 25, and 50 mg kg). The plants were harvested 70 days after sowing the seeds in pots. Cadmium contamination significantly inhibited the growth of leaves and roots of plants. Cadmium contamination also induced oxidative stress; however, the application of N-fertilizers increased the plant biomass by inhibiting oxidative stress and enhancing antioxidants' enzymatic activities. The greatest plant growth was observed in the urea-treated plants compared with the NHNO-treated plants. In addition, urea-fed plants also accumulated higher Cd concentrations than NHNO-fed plants. It is concluded that urea is helpful for better growth of under Cd stress. Thus, an optimum concentration of N-fertilizers might be effective in the phytoremediation of heavy metals through .