Co-planting of with enhanced their phytoremediation potential to multi-metal contaminated soil.

To screen the efficient tree-herb co-planting patterns to remediate the heavy metal polluted soil, a greenhouse experiment was conducted for 150 days to examine the plant growth and metals accumulation across three co-planting patterns, including (S) co-planted with (NS) or (PS), and those three species are co-planted together (NPS). Results showed that the NPS pattern slightly decreased the tree biomass, while NS and PS treatments improved the plant growth (1.51-10.68%). It is worth noting that the NS treatment significantly ( < 0.05) increased photosynthetic pigment content (82.61-113.93%), net CO assimilation (21.44%), and the uptake of Cd (44.58%) in ; the PS treatment significantly ( < 0.05) increased the net CO assimilation (8.61%) and the uptake of Cd (42.23%), Zn (31.18%) in ; and the uptake of Cd and Zn in the NPS co-planting treatment were only slightly increased. For , the photosynthetic pigment content was elevated and the metal accumulation in itself also maintained the relative stable in all the co-planting treatments. Thus, co-planting of with was a promising way to remediate heavily polluted soil by heavy metals. : Co-planting with multiple plant species, as a novel strategy, has great value for the remediation of heavy metal contaminated soil. The paper aimed to explore the suitable co-planting pattern of , arbor trees which showed phytoremediation potential, co-planted with Cd hyperaccumulator, . The result suggested the co-planting with enhanced the plant growth, photosynthesis, and metals extraction of and . Co-planting also improved ecological adaptation of via elevating pigment content. Thus, co-planting of with was a promising way to remediate polluted soil.