Phytoremediation potential of Vachellia nilotica under cadmium-contaminated soil by using organic amendments

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential element for plants and humans but is present in many soils in excessive amounts. When it enters into the food chain, it poses a major threat to the living biota. The control of Cd accumulation in plants is complicated by the fact that most of the essential nutrient transporters, such as copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn), also facilitate Cd uptake. In this study, the main objective was to examine the effect of Vachellia nilotica in cd contaminated soil by using organic amendments such as cow dung and compost. The pot experiment was carried out in a nursery of the Department of Forestry and Range Management, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad under natural conditions. Plants were grown in pots having soil with 20 mg kg-1 of Cd stress with CD @ 3% and CM. Plants were also grown in pots with uncontaminated soils as a control treatment (T1). Cd is highly toxic to the plant and with 20 mg kg-1 of applied Cd, the mortality of the plant occurs. The Cd concentration increased in Vachellia nilotica with the use of compost (T3). The lowest concentration of Cd was found in cow dung (T2) treatment. The result indicates that the plant height and fresh and dry weight significantly decreased as the level of Cd increased. The result also revealed that the use of cow dung in combination with compost was found superior in enhancing the phytoremediation potential of Cd by Vachellia nilotica.