The response of cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.) to the application of PCB-contaminated sewage sludge and urban sediment

BACKGROUND: The increasing production of sewage sludge (SS) engenders the problem of its responsible utilization and disposal. Likewise, urban sediments (SED) are deposited at the bottom of urban reservoirs and sedimentation ponds, and these require periodical dredging and utilization. However, while the SS and SED deposits often contain nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus; however, they also contain a variety of hazardous compounds including heavy metals, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and microbial pollutants. Fortunately, some species of Cucurbitaceae can accumulate high levels of POPs, such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), in their tissues. METHODS: SS was collected from the Lodz Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant and SED from the Sokołówka Sequential Biofiltration System. The SS and SED samples were added to soil in flower pots at three concentrations (1.8 g, 5.4 g and 10.8 g per flower pot), and one pot was left as an unamended control (C). Soil PCB concentrations were determined before cucumber planting, and after five weeks of growth. Also, total soluble protein, total chlorophyll content, chlorophyll a/b ratio and degree of lipid peroxidation (TBARS) were examined in the leaves of the cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.) cv. Cezar after five weeks. Antioxidative response was assessed by ascorbate peroxidase (APx) and catalase (CAT) assay. RESULTS: The initial PCB concentration in soil after application of SS or SED was dependent on the applied dose. After five weeks, PCB concentration fell significantly for all samples and confirmed that the dose of SS/SED had a strong effect. Soil remediation was found to be more effective after SS application. Total soluble protein content in the cucumber leaf tissues was dependent on both the type and the dose of the applied amendments, and increased with greater SS doses in the soil. The total chlorophyll content remained unchanged, and the chlorophyll a/b ratio was slightly elevated only after the application of the highest SS and SED dose. The use of SS and SED did not significantly affect TBARS content. APx activity fell after SS or SED application; however, CAT activity tended to increase, but only in the leaves of plants grown in SS-amended soil. DISCUSSION: The cultivation of cucumber plants reduces PCB concentration in soil amended with SS or SED; however, this effect is more evident in the case of SS. SS application also induced more intensive changes in the activity of enzymes engaged in antioxidative response and oxidative stress markers in plant tissues than SED. The levels of PCB in the SS may have triggered a more severe imbalance between pro- and antioxidative reactions in plants. Cucumber plants appear to be resistant to the presence of toxic substances in SS and SED, and the addition of SS and SED not only acts as a fertilizer, but also protects against accelerated aging.