AccScience Publishing / AJWEP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/AJWEP025040021
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Testing the ability of Vetiveria zizanioides plants to bind cadmium and its influence on soil microbial diversity

Aida Abdali Dehdezi1 ,  Ebrahim Alaei2* ,  Pejman Azadi3 ,  Mahmoud Shavandi4 ,  Seyed Amir Mousavi5
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1 Department of Horticulture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 Environment and Biotechnology Research Division, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry, Tehran, Iran
3 Department of Genetic Engineering, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Karaj, Iran
4 Ecology and Environmental Pollution Control Research Group, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry, West Blvd. of Azadi Sport Complex, Tehran, Iran
5 Department of Plant Biotechnology, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran
AJWEP 2025, 22(2), 32–42; https://doi.org/10.36922/AJWEP025040021
Received: 22 January 2025 | Revised: 19 February 2025 | Accepted: 28 February 2025 | Published online: 27 March 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Phytoremediation is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach for the remediation of heavy metals from contaminated environments. However, its effectiveness can be influenced by various factors, particularly the structure and diversity of soil microbial communities, which play a crucial role in enhancing or hindering the phytoremediation process. In this study, the remediation of cadmium-contaminated soil was investigated through the cultivation of Vetiveria zizanioides, examining its effects on the diversity of soil microbial communities. The concentration of Cd in roots and leaves reached more than 600 mg/kg DW and 400 mg/kg DW, respectively, at 60 mg/kg Cd treatment. Next-generation sequencing was used to characterize the soil microbial community. It was shown that the increased Cd contaminant from 20 mg/kg to 60 mg/kg of soil noticeably reduced the microbial count. A significant increase in species numbers was observed in the clean soil containing the V. zizanioides plants. In addition, soil samples from Cd-contaminated soil showed a considerable change in microbial structure at the genus level with the Sphingomonas bacteria becoming the most dominant genus against Cd-contamination.

Keywords
Phytoremediation
Cadmium remediation
Soil microbial composition
Soil contamination
Vetiveria zizanioides
Sphingomonas
Funding
The authors extend our gratitude to the personnel of the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry, Iran, for assisting us in this research project. (Project No. 33481249).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
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Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, Electronic ISSN: 1875-8568 Print ISSN: 0972-9860, Published by AccScience Publishing
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