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The contamination of lands and water by heavy toxic metal(loid)s is an environmental issue that needs serious attention as it poses a major threat to public health. The persistence of heavy metals/metalloids in the environment as well as their potentially dangerous effects on organisms underpins the need to restore the areas contaminated by heavy toxic metal(loid)s. Soil restoration can be achieved through a variety of different methods. Being more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable, phytoremediation has recently replaced traditional processes like soil washing and burning. Many plants have been intensively explored to eliminate various heavy metals from polluted soils through phytoextraction, which is a commonly used phytoremediation approach. The ability of chelants to enhance phytoextraction potential has also received wide attention owing to their ability to elevate the efficiency of plants in removing heavy metal(loid)s. Chelants have been found to improve plant growth and the activity of the defense system. Several chelants, either non-biodegradable or biodegradable, have been reported to augment the phytoextraction efficiencies of various plants. The problem of the leaching of heavy metal(loid)s and secondary pollution caused by non-biodegradable chelants can be overcome by the use of biodegradable chelants to an extent. This review is a brief report focusing on recent articles on chelate-assisted phytoextraction of heavy metal (loids) As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb, U, and Zn. The review "Chelate assisted phytoextraction for effective rehabilitation of heavy metal(loid)s contaminated land" elaborates on the chelated assisted phytoextraction of eight metals and one metalloids along with their effective chelants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hellenia speciosa (J. Koenig) s.r. dutta, commonly known as spiral ginger, is a potent medicinal plant in the family Costaceae. it has a wide range of applications in traditional and modern medicine with many active ingredients. diosgenin is a steroidal sapogenin obtained from h. speciosa. it is commercially used as an important raw material for the synthesis of steroidal drugs. Foliar sprays of salicylic acid (sa) were used to study the induction of diosgenin synthesis in the leaves of h. speciosa. three different concentrations, 1mM, 5mM, and 9mM, were applied on plants grown in shade net houses. after 60 days of weekly sa application, plants were harvested along with rhizome, dried, and extracted in methanol using the soxhlet apparatus. acid hydrolysis was performed to obtain diosgenin in the extract. the high-Pressure thin layer Chromatography (hPtlC) technique was used to detect the presence of diosgenin in the methanolic extract of leaves. elicitation of diosgenin synthesis was evident in all three extracts obtained from salicylic acid-treated plants. diosgenin was obtained at an rf maximum of 0.58-0.59. the amount of diosgenin was quantified with chromatographic techniques. the maximum quantity of diosgenin was present in the extract treated with 9mM sa. this experiment highlights the effect of stress signals on selected secondary metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nSTATEMENT OF NOVELTYThis study unveiled the cadmium phytoremediation potential and its augmentation using 6-Benzylaminopurine in Strobilanthes alternata. Cadmium stress was provided by applying 250 mg/kg cadmium chloride in soil and 25 ppm of 6-BAP (25 ml) was administered to the plants as foliar spray. The results revealed high bioconcentration factor (BCF) (18.82 ± 0.54) and low translocation factor (TF) values (0.055 ± 0.002) for the plant based on which we strongly recommend S. alternata as a promising candidate for Cd phytoremediation. The phytostabilization potential of the plant was further enhanced by applying 6-BAP, which augmented its BCF to 22.09 ± 0.64 and reduced the TF to 0.038 ± 0.001. Cd toxicity caused a reduction of plant growth parameters, root volume, adaxial-abaxial stomatal indices, relative water content, tolerance index, moisture content, membrane stability index, and xylem vessel diameter in S. alternata. However, Cd + 6-BAP treated plants exhibited an increase of the same compared to Cd-treated plants. FTIR analysis of Cd + 6-BAP treated plants revealed increased deposition of hemicellulose, causing enhanced retention of Cd in the root xylem walls, which is largely responsible for increased phytostabilization of Cd. Therefore, 6-BAP application in S. alternata can be exploited to restore Cd-contaminated areas effectively.The research paper “6-Benzylaminopurine Mediated Augmentation of Cadmium Phytostabilization Potential in Strobilanthes alternata” has established the Cd phytostabilization potential of the plant Strobilanthes alternata and also identified the role of 6-BAP in augmenting the Cd phytoremediation potential of this plant for the very first time. The physiological and anatomical changes in relation to the applied stress signals were also studied for the first time in S. alternata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]