Fava bean intercropping with Sedum alfredii inoculated with endophytes enhances phytoremediation of cadmium and lead co-contaminated field.

Phytoremediation coupled with agro-production is considered a sustainable strategy for remediation of trace element contaminated fields without interrupting crop production. In this study hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii was intercropped with a leguminous plant fava bean (Vicia fava) in cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) co-contaminated field to evaluate the effects of intercropping on growth performance and accumulations of trace elements in plants with plant growth promoting endophyte (PGPE) consortium application. The results showed, compared with monoculture, intercropping coupled with inoculation application promoted biomass as well as Cd and Pb concentrations in individual parts of both plants, thus increasing the removal efficiencies of trace elements (4.49-folds for Cd and 5.41-folds for Pb). Meanwhile, this superposition biofortification measure maintained normal yield and nutrient content, and limited the concentration of Cd and Pb within the permissible limit (<0.2 mg kg FW) in fava bean during the grain production. These results demonstrated a feasible technical system for phytoremediation coupled with agro-production in slightly or moderately Cd and Pb co-contaminated field, and also provided useful information for further investigation of interaction mechanisms between intercropping and PGPEs inoculation.