KEY MESSAGE: ) on king grass planted in LP and HP soil after every 10 days starting 40 days post-transplantation in the greenhouse. The plants were harvested after 90 days of transplanting to assess the plant growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant enzyme activities and phytoremediation efficiency of king grass. Foliar PGR application increased biomass (IAA: 23.49% DW in LP soil; MT: 41% DW in HP soil) and photosynthetic pigments while reducing oxidative stress markers (MDA: 36.20%, H₂O₂: 30.92% with IAA). Antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, APX) were upregulated by 20-40%, correlating with enhanced Cd/Cr accumulation (IAA: 121% Cd, 82.08% Cr in shoots; MT: 49.72% Cd in HP soil). Remediation efficiency peaked with IAA (10.30% Cd-RE, 17.49% Cr-RE in LP) and ABA (7.20% Cd-RE in HP), demonstrating soil-specific PGR optimization. These findings establish MT and IAA as keystones for sustainable phytoremediation, aligning with global soil health initiatives.
Altaf et al. (Wed,) studied this question.