Effects of Funnelliformis mosseae inoculation on alleviating atrazine damage in Canna indica L. var. flava Roxb.

ABSTRACT

Atrazine residue in the environment continually damages plants and therefore requires immediate attention and effective development of methods for its decontamination. The effects of Funnelliformis mosseae inoculation on growth and physiology in atrazine-treated Canna indica L. var. flava Roxb. were investigated. At atrazine concentrations up to 15 mg L⁻¹, the growth of C. indica plants were negatively affected. Inoculation with F. mosseae alleviated the atrazine inhibition of plant growth and biomass. Furthermore, the chlorophyll content and root function increased under F. mosseae inoculation, and the oxidative stress of malondialdehyde, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities induced by atrazine were also alleviated by F. mosseae inoculation. The removal rate of atrazine by untreated C. indica was significant, with removal rates of 20.5–55.3% by the end of a 14-day experiment; however, F. mosseae inoculation increased the removal rate to 35.6–75.1%. In conclusion, F. mosseae inoculation can alleviate the damage induced by atrazine in C. indica. Accordingly, C. indica inoculated with F. mosseae has excellent potential to be used in phytoremediation in habitats polluted by high atrazine concentrations.

KEYWORDS:

• Atrazine
• Funnelliformis mosseae
• Canna indica
• physiology
• growth

Funding

This work was supported by the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (2012ZX07201003), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31570505), and the State Key Lab of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, China (HIT) (No 2014TS05).