The Impact of Nitrogen Fertiliser Usage on the Uptake of Cadmium and Nutrients by Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) Plants

Year 2025, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 73 - 82

Hatice Dağhan , Nurdilek Gülmezoğlu

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution is a significant global issue, primarily caused by industrial and mining activities. Cadmium (Cd) specifically poses a major risk to agriculture and food safety. However, there is hope in the form of phytoremediation, the use of plants to clean up contaminated soil, a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method of treating such soils. By applying nitrogen (N), the biomass of phytoaccumulator plants, such as tobacco, can be improved, allowing them to absorb more heavy metals from the soil. This study aims to investigate the effect of increasing doses of N (0, 100, 200, 400 mg kg-1) and Cd (0, 1.5, 3, 6 mg kg-1) on tobacco Cd uptake and tolerance levels in pot experiments under controlled climate conditions. The chlorophyll concentration of plants increased with increasing N applications. The dry weights of the plant decreased with increasing doses of Cd. The highest dry matter in the tobacco plant was measured at 100 mg kg-1 N with 0 mg Cd kg-1 application (13.0 g). The application of N doses increased the N uptake of the tobacco plant. The highest N concentration (3.07%) was obtained in the tobacco plant at a 400 mg kg-1 N application. The effects of Cd applications on the N concentration of the plant were not statistically significant. The application of increased doses of N and Cd increased the Cd concentration in tobacco plants. The highest Cd concentration (162 mg kg-1) was obtained from an application of 6 mg Cd kg-1 with 400 mg N kg-1. The N applications have increased the uptake of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and manganese (Mn) in the tobacco plant, while decreasing the uptake of copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) (p <0.01). Compared to the control (0 mg Cd kg-1) treatment, Cd applications decreased the uptake of P, K, Mg, Cu, Mn, and Zn, but increased Fe uptake (p < 0.01). However, detailed analyses are necessary concerning the biochemical and physiological response of tobacco plants to increase the Cd uptake with N fertiliser in future studies.

Keywords

Cadmium , fertilizer , nitrogen , phytoremediation , tobacco , plant , soil

Supporting Institution

Eskişehir Osmangazi University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit

Project Number

2016-23026

Thanks

We would like to thank the Eskişehir Osmangazi University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit for their support of our research (Project No: 2016-23026). We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

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