Comparison of Cadmium Toxicity and Absorption from Polymer-Cd and Nitrate-Cd by Corn Inoculated with Glomus caledonium

In the recent decades, the industrial revolution resulted in contamination of the biosphere by heavy metals and mycorrhizal fungi could affect the metals uptake by the plant. This research was carried out using Zea mays with three levels of soil Cd cotamination (0, 50 mg kg-1 using Polymer (Poly-hydroxybutanamide) – Cd, and 50 mg kg-1 using Cd-nitrate) and two levels of mycorrhizal (inoculanted with Glomus Caledonium and non-inoculanted) with three replications in a factorial experiment as a completely randomized design in greenhouse conditions. Cadmium pollution caused a significant reduction (P≥0.05) in shoot dry weight (from 31.05 to 26.34 and 27.10 g pot-1), shoot phosphorus concentration (from 0.37 to 0.36 and 0.36 g kg-1), soil carbohydrate (from 12.67 to 10.40 and 9.81 mg g-1) and also resulted an increases in soil glomalin (from 458.56 to 600.37 and 635 µg g-1) from control to polymer-Cd and nitrate-Cd respectively. Inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi reduced Cd uptake by the Zea mays, increased the soil glomalin content and improved the soil biological parameters. The results of this study showed that glomalin is an important protein in response to stress condition of Cd contamination. Poly-hydroxybutanamide polymer (a non-toxic compound) increased Cd availability and Cd uptake by plant (34.91 mg kg-1) compared to nitrate-Cd (19.83 mg kg-1) and it could be recommended to improve phytoremediation.