RESEARCH PROGRESS IN THE SUSTAINABLE AND SAFE UTILIZATION OF CADMIUM-CONTAMINATED FARMLAND SOIL WITH LOW-ACCUMULATING MAIZE (ZEA MAYS L.) VARIETIES

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a crucially important crop, serving as both a feedstock and an industrial raw material.Intercropping, a traditional agronomic practice, enhances the efficient use of maize and improves the quality of co-planted crops by leveraging the concepts of niche differentiation and biodiversity.This method aims to mitigate heavy metal absorption in crops, thereby enhancing their yield and quality.It also seeks to achieve a dual goal of 'production and remediation,' optimize land use efficiency, and bolster economic returns.A literature review conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection database, focusing on maize and Cd-contaminated soil, revealed an increasing trend in citations and publications over time, indicating a growing research interest in these areas.This paper reviews the safe utilization of contaminated farmland soil under the intercropping system that combines hyperaccumulators with low-accumulation maize varieties.Additionally, it assesses the impact of intercropping on soil environmental quality.The paper also discusses the emerging trends in the application of intercropping for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils, the utilization of phytoremediation biomass, and the development of efficient intercropping systems to enhance the remediation efficiency of such soils.