Analysing the remediation efficacy of Chrysopogon zizanioides L through biomarker responses in Solanam melongena L grown in lead contaminated soil

Lead (Pb) contamination poses significant risks to agricultural sustainability and food safety. This research investigated the phytoremediation potential of vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) in Pb-contaminated soil. Ascorbate–glutathione (AsA-GSH) pathway being a critical pathway for antioxidant defence mechanism in plant has been used to understand the effect of Lead toxicity. Two doses of Pb was used in the research, where a set (experiment 1B) of brinjal plants were grown with the specific two doses of Pb and parallel to this in another set (experimental 1A) vetiver was cultivated with same Pb doses in pots, in this set of pots (experiment 1A), after vetiver harvesting fresh brinjal plants were grown without adding further Pb doses (experiment 2). The data set from experiment 1B, with only Pb was compared with the data set of experiment 2, the remediated one. When the results were analysed it has been found that there is an increase in plant height and biomass in case of plants grown in Pb remediated soil. The reduction in the concentration of the enzymes glutathione reductase and ascorbate peroxidase were 39–46% and 9–18% respectively in different doses of Pb. There was a considerable decrease in hydrogen peroxide concentration in plants with vetiver treatment, 34–49% in different Pb doses. Nasunin a potent antioxidant for brinjal plant has shown a decrease in concentration of 11–13% in plants grown in remediated soil. The data set reflect a potential decrease in Pb-induced stress in plants grown in vetiver remediated soil.