The effect of cadmium toxicity on health and risk index, coexistence and activity of some coriander antioxidant enzymes inoculated with Mycorrhiza fungi

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inoculation of two species of mycorrhizal fungi on growth, colonization percentage, antioxidant enzymes activity, health and risk index of coriander under cadmium stress.

A pot experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with 2 factors and 3 replications in the research greenhouse of the Department of Horticultural Science and Landscape Engineering at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in 2018. The first factor was cadmium nitrate at 4 levels of 0, 20, 40, and 80 mg kg-1 soil and the second factor was mycorrhiza application at 3 levels of non-inoculation, inoculation with Glomus mosseae and Glomus intraradices.

The results showed that with increasing cadmium concentration in the soil, the shoot and total biomass of plant, leaf area, number of seeds, 1000 seeds weight, colonization percentage, soluble protein, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase activities were significantly decreased in coriander. But malondialdehyde content, health and risk index increased. However, the use of mycorrhizal fungi reduced the harmful effects of cadmium in the plant. This resulted in a decrease of 47.1% of the risk and health index and 17.2% of malondialdehyde in the plant.

According to the findings, use of mycorrhizal fungi had a significant effect on the improving of harmful effects of cadmium in coriander, thus improved the risk and health index for consumers. Therefore, using mycorrhizal fungi as a management strategy in polluted areas with this heavy metal is