Pre-aeration of the rhizosphere offers potential for phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated wetlands.

• An aeration pretreatment enlarged root aerenchyma and improved apical oxygen secretion of Triarrhena sacchariflora seedlings. • The aeration pretreatment enhanced the tolerance and absorption of T. sacchariflora seedlings to cadmium and copper. • The aeration pretreatment shows a great potential in efficient phytoremediation of heavy metal-polluted wetlands. Two solution cultures with different oxygen pretreatments were used to investigate (ⅰ) the variation in the radial oxygen loss in the roots and root morphology of Triarrhena sacchariflora seedlings and (ii) their tolerance to Cu2+ and Cd2+, as well as both the metal uptake and accumulation by pretreated seedlings. Developed aerenchyma in the roots was induced by the hypoxia pretreatment (HP) and aeration pretreatment (AP), for which root porosity, respectively, increased by 45.76%–53.39% and 84.07%–88.66%. AP altered the natural radial oxygen loss coupled to an enhanced secretion of oxygen in the root tips. AP was found to effectively improve the seedlings' tolerance to Cu2+ and Cd2+, facilitating their growth, thereby increasing their root diameter, dry weight, and number of root tips, as well as promoting shoot growth. AP was capable of promoting the uptake and bioaccumulation in seedlings of Cu2+ and Cd2+; it also induced more Cu2+ and Cd2+ immobilized in roots so that less of either metal was transported from roots to shoots, which may well be a key mechanism for strengthening seedlings' tolerance to metal ions. Our experimental results suggest that AP offers great potential for the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]