Effects of Claroideoglomus etunicatum Fungi Inoculation on Arsenic Uptake by Maize and Pteris vittata L.

The intercropping of arsenic (As) hyperaccumulator Chinese brake fern (Pterisvittata L.) with maize (Zea mays L.) is being widely utilized to enhance phytoremediation without impeding agricultural production. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can regulate the physiological and molecular responses of plants in tolerating heavy metal stress. We studied the effects of inoculation with AM fungi on As uptake by maize and P. vittata grown in soil contaminated with As. The results show that infection with the fungus Claroideoglomus etunicatum (Ce) increased the biomass of maize and P. vittata. Moreover, infection with Ce significantly reduced the accumulation of As and the coefficient for root–shoot transport of As in maize, whereas it enhanced the accumulation of As and coefficient for root–shoot transport of As in P. vittata. Infection with Ce led to a high content of available As in the soil planted with P. vittata, while there was a lower content of available As in the soil planted with maize. The different concentrations of available As in the soils suggest that inoculation with Ce may enhance the secretion of organic acids, particularly citric acid and tartaric acid, by maize roots and promote rhizosphere acidification, which then causes a decrease in As uptake by maize. Inoculation with Ce decreased the secretion of citric acid from P. vittata and promoted rhizosphere alkalization, which then caused an increase in As uptake by P. vittata and maize. Thus, co-combining AM fungi in the intercropping of the hyperaccumulator P. vittata with maize could be a promising approach to improving the efficiency of remediating As-contaminated soil.