Arabidopsis thaliana Reaction in Response to Cadmium and Trichoderma Fungi Additive into the Soil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the substrate inoculation (silty soil) using Trichodermagenus fungi on cadmium phyto-availability and process of photosynthesis disturbances at Arabidopsis thaliana. The two-factor experiment was established, in which the 1st variable factor was the presence or absence of Trichoderma genus fungi in the substrate, while the 2nd order factor was the growing amounts of cadmium in the soil. During the vegetation, measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were carried out. After the experiment complete, the cadmium content was determined in aboveground parts of Arabidopsis thaliana. The cadmium doses incorporated in the silty soil (2, 10, 30 mg Cd/kg DM soil) did not cause any significant disturbances within the photosynthetic system of Arabidopsis thaliana. Only Fv/Fm parameter values showed some deterioration in the photochemical efficiency of PSII. Cadmium content in the aboveground parts of plants increased along with the soil contamination by this metal, both with and without addition of Trichoderma genus fungi. However, plants growing on soils with lower doses of cadmium (2 and 10 mg Cd/kg) with Trichoderma genus fungi addition, contained less of the element than those with no fungi addition.