1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture:
TOWARDS SOIL SUSTAINABILITY
11–13 June 2024 • Lublin–Nałęczów, Poland

https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.12
Published online: 4 October 2024

The influence of biostimulants on the growth
and physiological parameters of Sorghum sudanense × bicolor grown on soil contaminated with metals
Karolina Jaros^1,4*, Karolina Olech¹, Piotr Sugier², Jolanta Jaroszuk-Ściseł³,
Jaco Vangronsveld^1,4, Sofie Thijs⁴, Francois Rineau⁴, Małgorzata Wójcik¹

¹ Department of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
² Department of Botany, Mycology and Ecology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
³ Department of Industrial and Environmental Microbiology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19,
20-033 Lublin, Poland
⁴ Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
* Corresponding author:

Abstract
Sorghum is an annual plant yielding up to 50 t DM per ha. It has low soil requirements, low water demand and high tolerance to elevated temperatures, so it can be grown in tropical, subtropical and temperate climates. Sorghum yield can be used in the food, feed and energy industries. Sorghum is not classified as a hyperaccumulator plant, however, thanks to its high tolerance to pollutants such as metals/metalloids in the soil and its high yield, it can be used in phytoremediation. Currently, the area of contaminated lands in Europe exceeds 10 million ha, of which 37% are sites contaminated with metals. The presence of metals in the environment leads to disruption of plant metabolism, resulting in lower and poorer quality yields. One of the reasons for this is oxidative stress caused by excessive production of reactive oxygen species in plant tissues. Reactive oxygen species inactivate enzymes and lead to peroxidation of phospholipid membranes. By using agents such as biostimulants, you can diminish the negative effects of stress. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of humic substances (H) and a combination of humic substances and mycorrhiza (HM) on the growth, physiological parameters, and metal accumulation in Sorghum sudanense x bicolor variety Bulldozer grown in metal-contaminated soil. An experiment was carried out in the field contaminated with Cd (51.56 mg/kg), Zn (8057 mg/kg), and Pb (2340 mg/kg) in amounts significantly exceeding the permissible limits for soils used for agriculture. Humic substances (commercial preparation Lonite) were applied to the soil twice: one and two months after sowing, and mycorrhiza (commercial preparation Symbivit) was applied to the soil at sowing the seeds, according to the protocols provided by the producers. The plants were cultivated for 16 weeks. The biostimulants used (H and HM) resulted in a significantly higher biomass of sorghum compared to plants grown without biostimulant application, but did not affect the accumulation of metals (Cd, Pb and Zn) in the above-ground parts. The higher concentration of sugars, chlorophyll and the lower concentration of lipid peroxidation products in sorghum grown with humic substances indicate that this biostimulant has a positive impact on relieving stress. Humic substances used alone or with mycorrhiza may stimulate the growth and metabolism of sorghum grown in metal-contaminated areas.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 101006873.

Keywords: sorghum, biostimulants, phytoremediation, contaminated land

How to cite
Jaros K., Olech K., Sugier P., Jaroszuk-Ściseł J., Vangronsveld J., Thijs S., Rineau F., Wójcik M., 2024. The influence of biostimulants on the growth and physiological parameters of Sorghum sudanense × bicolor grown on soil contaminated with metals. 1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture: Towards Soil Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.12