Bioremediation of Toxic Metals from Polluted Soil using Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

This study investigated the potential of Amaranthus spinosus and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in bioremediating toxic metals. Pot experiment was conducted. Amaranthus spinosus was grown in soil contaminated with toxic metals, with and without AM fungal inoculation and grown for eight weeks. Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (ASS) was used to determine the levels of Fe, Cd, Cr and Pb in the soil samples before planting and after harvest and in the harvested Amaranthus spinosus test plant. Data obtained were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and means were separated using the least significant difference (LSD) test at p < 0.05. The results revealed that AM FUNGI significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the uptake of Fe, Cd and Pb by Amaranthus spinosus and immobilized Fe by 52.23% , Pb by 71.94% and Cd by 43.33% thereby reducing their availability for uptake by Amaranthus spinosus. The combination of A. spinosus and AM fungi resulted in a significant decrease in soil metal concentrations. This study highlights the potential of A. spinosus and AM fungi as a sustainable and eco-friendly tool for enhancing soil resilience and reducing the uptake of heavy metal by plants grown on toxic metal polluted soil.