Phytoremediation of cadmium (Cd) and uranium (U) contaminated soils by Brassica juncea L. enhanced with exogenous application of plant growth regulators

This investigation was made to examine the role of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellin A3 (GA3), 6-Benzylaminopurine (6-BA), and 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) in improving stress tolerance and phytoremediation of the cadmium (Cd) and uranium (U) by mustard (Brassica juncea L.). The optimum concentrations of IAA, GA3, 6-BA, and EBL were determined based on plant biomass production, metal uptake, translocation, and removal efficiency. The biomass and total chlorophyll content decreased under Cd and U stress. Nevertheless, the application of IAA, GA3, and 6-BA significantly (p < 0.05) increased the growth and total chlorophyll content of mustard. The malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 content of mustard were enhanced under Cd and U stress, but they were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in plant growth regulators (PGRs) treatments (except for EBL). PGRs treatments increased activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase, thus reducing the oxidative stress. Furthermore, the shoot uptake of Cd and U of IAA and EBL treatments was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of other treatments. IAA and EBL also have more significant effects on the translocation and remediation of Cd and U compared to GA3 and 6-BA. The removal efficiency of Cd and U reached the maximum in the 500 mg L-1 IAA treatment, which was 330.77% and 118.61% greater than that in the control (CK), respectively. These results suggested that PGRs could improve the stress tolerance and efficiency of phytoremediation using B. juncea in Cd- and U- contaminated soils.