Growth, photosynthesis, and uptake of heavy metals by barley and corn plants influenced by different methods of zeolite and phosphogypsum application

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Abstract
Natural zeolite can be used as a heavy metals adsorbent from phosphogypsum, applied as a soil amendment. We used barley and corn seedling to investigate the effect of different methods of zeolite and phosphogypsum application on (a) growth, photochemical activity of chloroplasts and chlorophyll content; (b) uptake of strontium (Sr), calcium (Ca), and cadmium (Cd) in relation to photosynthetic activity, and content of these elements in the soil. Phosphogypsum was found to negatively influence the growth and development of the seedlings, affecting their morphology traits, biomass production and photosynthetic activity. Therefore, the application of phosphogypsum together with natural zeolite, according to the recommended technique, “in mixture”; completely erased consequences of phosphogypsum treatment. Uptake of Sr by barley plants was noticed to be highly dependent on photosynthetic activity and leaf area, however, there was no close correlation found between the content of water soluble Sr in the soil and its accumulation in plants.

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