Inoculation of heavy metal resistant bacteria alleviated heavy metal-induced oxidative stress biomarkers in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)

• Published in: BMC plant biology Vol. 24; no. 1; p. 221
• Main Authors: Jamil, Muhammad, Malook, Ijaz, Rehman, Shafiq Ur, Aslam, Muhammad Mudasar, Fayyaz, Muhammad, Shah, Gulmeena, Kaplan, Alevcan, Khan, Muhammad Nauman, Ali, Baber, Roy, Rana, Ercisli, Sezai, Harakeh, Steve, Moulay, Mohammed, Javed, Muhammad Ammar, Abeed, Amany H A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 27.03.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Acids; Agricultural research; Agriculture; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - metabolism; Antioxidative metabolism; Bacillus (Bacteria); Bacillus aerius; Bacillus cereus; Bacteria; Bacteria - metabolism; Biochemical characteristics; Biochemistry; Biological markers; Biological stress; Biomarkers; Chemicals; Contamination; Environmental aspects; Enzymes; Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; Food contamination; Food contamination & poisoning; Germination; Heavy metals; Heavy metals toxicity; Inoculation; Lipid peroxidation; Loratadine - analogs & derivatives; Metallothioneins; Metallothioneins (MTs); Metals; Metals, Heavy - toxicity; Methods; Microbiological strains; Nitrogen; Nitrogen - metabolism; Nitrogen content; Oxidation resistance; Oxidative Stress; Oxygen; Physiological aspects; Physiology; Plant growth; Plants; Plants - metabolism; Pollutants; Proteins; Reactive oxygen species; Remediation; Scanning electron microscope (SEM); Seed germination; Seedlings; Seeds; Soil - chemistry; Soil contamination; Soil inoculation; Soil microorganisms; Soil Pollutants - metabolism; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; Soil pollution; Soils; Spinach; Spinacia oleracea; Stomata; Strains (organisms); Toxicity; Vegetables; Germany; Pakistan; England; United Kingdom > UK; Antioxidative metabolism; Heavy metals toxicity; Scanning electron microscope (SEM); Remediation; Metallothioneins (MTs)
• ISSN: 1471-2229; 1471-2229
• DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-04757-7

Most vegetable crops are severely affected by the uptake of heavy metals from the soil. Heavy metals in vegetable bodies generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) that unbalance the antioxidant defense system. This study was initiated to determine the physiological and biochemical characteristics of spinach plants grown on soil contaminated with heavy metals and responding to Bacillus cereus and Bacillus aerius were isolated from soil contaminated with heavy metals. Heavy metal contamination led to a significant reduction in seed germination, seedling biomass, protein, and total nitrogen content of spinach plants grown in contaminated soils compared to control soils. In contrast, a significant increase in the content of metallothioneins and antioxidant enzymes was observed. Plants inoculated with B. cereus and B. aerius significantly reduced the oxidative stress induced by heavy metals by improving seed germination (%), seedling growth, nitrogen, and protein content. The content of metallothioneins and the activities of antioxidant enzymes were reduced in spinach plants grown from seeds inoculated with bacterial strains. In addition, plants inoculated with, B. cereus and B. aerius showed greater stomata opening than plants grown on soil contaminated with heavy metals, whose stomata were almost closed. These results suggested that both bacterial strains enhanced plant growth by reducing oxidative stress caused by metals.