ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Effects of Humic Acid and EDTA
on Phytoremediation, Growth and Antioxidant
Activity in Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)
Grown under Heavy Metal Stress
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1
Department of Soil Science and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Van Yuzuncu Yıl University, Van, Turkey
2
Izmit Vocational School, Department of Plant and Animal Production Kocaeli University, Kocaeli, Turkey
Submission date: 2022-02-17
Final revision date: 2022-04-06
Acceptance date: 2022-04-06
Online publication date: 2022-06-08
Publication date: 2022-09-01
Corresponding author
Sibel Boysan Canal
PLANT BREEDİNG AND SOİL SCİENCE, VAN YÜZÜNCÜ YIL ÜNİVERSİTESİ, 65080, VAN, Turkey
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2022;31(5):4051-4060
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ABSTRACT
Rapeseed has been cultivated to produce non-edible and edible oil for thousands of years.
It is known as the second-largest oilseed plant in the world with 24.6 million tons of oil production
in 2021. The interventions that can be carried out during the cultivation of a plant with such
a high production value are quite significant. Growth, enzymatic activities, and phytoremediation of
rapeseed grown under heavy metal stress supported by humic acid (HA) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic
acid (EDTA) applications were investigated for the first time in this study. Three doses of
EDTA (EDTA1:5 mmol/kg, EDTA2:10 mmol/kg, EDTA3:15 mmol/kg) and three doses of HA
(HA1:500 mg/kg, HA2:1000 mg/kg, HA3:2000 mg/kg) were applied in heavy metal treated pots.
According to experiment results, HA1 and HA2 applications increased plant dry and fresh weights,
root dry and fresh weights. However, EDTA applications caused a decrease in shoot length, a number
of leaves, shoot fresh and dry weights, root fresh and dry weights. Bioconcentration factor (BCF)
values for Zn, Cr and Cd we found higher than in both shoots and roots of rapeseed. For all levels of
EDTA, the values of BCF (shoot) and BCF (root), transfer factor (TF) and translocation factor (TLF)
increased compared to HA applications. On the other hand, in comparison to heavy metal polluted
soils alone (PS), all levels of HA resulted in significantly reduced APX and CAT enzyme activity,
and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents. We concluded that humic
substances exert a significant influence on plant growth and reduce heavy metal toxicity in polluted
soils. At the same time, HA could be more effective than EDTA in terms of phytoremediation of Cr.
HA can increase phytoremediation in polluted soils as it improves plant growth and oxidative stress due to its organic nature. The results provide remarkable information for rapeseed cultivation
in polluted regions.