ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Crop and Product Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1619522
Exogenous jasmonic acid and salicylic acid enhance selenium uptake and mitigate cadmium accumulation in pak choi (Brassica chinensis L.) grown in selenium-rich, high-cadmium soil
Provisionally accepted
- 1Agricultural Resource and Environment Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Region, China
- 2Guangxi Key Laboratory of Arable Land Conservation, Nanning, China
- 3Flower Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning, China
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Plant hormones are known to regulate the uptake and distribution of mineral elements, including heavy metals, in crops. This study evaluated the effects of exogenous jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA), applied individually or in combination, on selenium (Se) enrichment and cadmium (Cd) mitigation in pak choi (Brassica chinensis L.) cultivated in Se-rich and high-Cd soils. Hormone treatments significantly increased shoot Se content by 33.7%-62.3% compared to the control, with the highest level Se accumulation observed under combined application of 50 μmol·L-1 JA and 50 μmol·L-1 SA. Cd accumulation in shoots decreased by 11.7%-29.3% in JA-containing treatments, with the same combined producing the lowest shoot Cd levels. JA alone increased root Cd content, while SA treatments reduced it. Individual hormone treatments elevated root levels of phytochelatins (PCs), glutathione (GSH), and metallo-thioneins (MTs), while the combined treatment future increased PCs and GSH, but decreased MTs and non-protein thiols (NPTs). Antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, CAT, POD), chlorophyll content and shoot fresh weight also increased in JA-containing treatments. Taken together, foliar application of JA combined SA offers a promising strategy to enhance Se biofortification, reduce Cd accumulation, and promote biomass production in pak choi grown in Se-rich and high-Cd soils.
Keywords: Selenium biofortification, cadmium mitigation, high-cadmium soil, metal chelation compounds, antioxidant enzyme
Received: 28 Apr 2025; Accepted: 29 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Qin, Xing, Liao, Pan, Zeng and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Cheng-Cheng Zeng, Agricultural Resource and Environment Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Region, China
Yong-Xian Liu, Agricultural Resource and Environment Research Institute, Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Region, China
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