Paper Details

PJB-2025-59

Potential of rhizospheric fungus Aspergillus terreus in mitigating lead toxicity in wheat seedlings

Sabrina Shahid, Ambrin, Muazzam Ali Khan, Sarir Ahmad, Sharipova Vasila and Fayaz Asad
Abstract

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Lead toxicity is a significant kind of contaminants that adversely affects crop productivity and threatens environmental sustainability. In this study, we isolated the rhizofungus Aspergillus terreus (A. terreus) from Cannabis sativa L. to investigate its potential for plant growth promotion and mitigation of the adverse effects of Pb toxicity on Triticum aestivum L. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replicates per treatment. The treatments consisted of a control and A. terreus group, as well as groups exposed to 100, 200, and 300ppm lead, and A. terreus in combination with 100, 200, and 300ppm lead. A. terreus successfully colonized the roots of wheat seedlings subjected to lead acetate (Pb) stress, significantly promoting plant growth and development. The results demonstrated a dose-dependent decrease in growth and biochemical markers in response to increasing Pb stress, with 300ppm Pb exhibiting the most significant adverse effects. Pb stress caused oxidative damage and stunted development by interfering with the production of chlorophyll, reducing protein content, and decreasing antioxidant activity. Pb-induced stress was considerably reduced the adverse influence after the inoculation of A. terreus at all tested concentration (100, 200 and 300ppm Pb + A. terreus). This improvement was accomplished through the promotion of root and shoot development, stabilization of photosynthetic pigments, inducement of proline level, enhancement of antioxidant defences, flavonoids, and maintenance of sugar and protein levels. The results indicate that the A. terreus serve as environmentally sustainable solutions for reducing heavy metal stress and improving plant resilience. More studies at the molecular level and large-scale field tests are needed to confirm these results and enhance microbial treatments for sustainable farming in polluted soils

To Cite this article: Shahid, S., Ambrin, M.A. Khan, S. Ahmad, S. Vasila and F. Asad. 2026. Potential of rhizospheric fungus Aspergillus terreus in mitigating lead toxicity in wheat seedlings. Pak. J. Bot., 58(1): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2026-1(27)
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