Inoculated Seed Endophytes Modify the Poplar Responses to Trace Elements in Polluted Soil

Seed endophyte inoculation can enhance the plant tolerance to pollutants, which allows plant cultivation on trace element (TE) polluted soils. Methylobacterium sp. CP3 and Kineococcus endophyticus CP19 were tested in vitro for their tolerance to Zn and Cd and their plant growth promotion traits. The in vivo effects of bioaugmentation with individual strains or both strains were tested using two poplar cultivars, Populus deltoides x (P. trichocarpa x P. maximowiczii) ‘Dender’ and ‘Marke’, grown in TE polluted soil for six weeks. Methylobacterium sp. was found to grow on media enriched with 0.4 and 0.8 mM Cd, and both endophytes tolerated 0.6 and 1 mM Zn, due to the presence of genes involved in Zn and Cd tolerance and transport. Methylobacterium sp. showed an extracellular ion sequestration mechanism. Production of indole-3-acetic acid by Methylobacterium sp. and K. endophyticus, as well as phosphorus solubilization by Methylobacterium sp. were observed. Bioaugmentation with both endophytes increased the shoot length of Populus ‘Marke’ and enhanced the Mg uptake in both cultivars. Inoculation with Methylobacterium sp. reduced the bioaccumulation of Zn in ‘Marke’, conferring it an excluder strategy. Methylobacterium sp. and K. endophyticus seemed to improve the plant nutritional status, which can alleviate abiotic stress.

Flowerlike WSe2 and WS2 microspheres: one-pot synthesis, formation mechanism and application in heavy metal ion sequestration

WSe2 and WS2 microspheres were synthesized by a solvothermal method and demonstrated outstanding uptake capacities for Pb2+ and Hg2+.

Sol–gel derived mesoporous GaAlPO4 glass for heavy metal ion sequestration

Mesoporous phosphate materials with chemical diversity and a high surface area are essential for their practical applications as heavy metal ion adsorbent materials.