Abstract
Calcium (Ca2+) is an essential nutrient for plants, contributing to their improved tolerance against heavy metal stress. This study aimed to investigate how varying Ca2+ concentrations (0, 0.5, 2, and 5 mM) regulate maize seedling growth, physiological and biochemical traits, and cellular antioxidant defense systems under cadmium (Cd) stress, using hydroponic experiments to elucidate the mechanisms underlying Cd toxicity alleviation. The results revealed that Ca2+ supplementation mitigated the inhibitory effects of Cd stress on root length, dry weight, and photosynthetic pigment contents. Also, Ca2+ application increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, as well as the contents of glutathione and ascorbic acid in leaves, with maximum increases of 14.9 %, 65.39 %, 146 %, and 135 %, respectively, compared with the control (CK) treatment. Peroxidase activity significantly decreased under Ca2+ treatment, with a maximum reduction of 34.38 % compared with that under CK treatment, whereas malondialdehyde content markedly increased, reaching 19.84 % higher than that under CK treatment. Meanwhile, principal component analysis revealed that the 5 mM Ca2+ treatment achieved the highest composite score, indicating optimal antioxidant capacity in maize seedlings and reduced membrane lipid peroxidation caused by excessive Cd accumulation. This study enhances the understanding of the role of Ca in plant stress responses and provides insights for safe maize production in Cd-contaminated environments. However, given Cd accumulation in plants, whether the maize used in this study is suitable for animal and human consumption requires further investigation.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Ca2+ supplementation mitigated the inhibitory effects of Cd stress on root length, dry weight and photosynthetic pigment contents of maize seedlings.
- Treatment
- Ca2+ supplementatione0
- Outcome
- root length, dry weight, and photosynthetic pigment contentse0
- Direction
- mitigatede0
- Comparator
- Cd stresse0
- Setting
- hydroponic experimentse1
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize seedlings”
e0“Ca2+ supplementation mitigated the inhibitory effects of Cd stress on root length, dry weight, and photosynthetic pigment contents”
e1“using hydroponic experiments to elucidate the mechanisms underlying Cd toxicity alleviation”
Claim · model-written summary
Ca2+ application increased leaf superoxide dismutase activity by a maximum of 14.9 % over the control.
- Organ / stage
- leavese2
- Treatment
- Ca2+ applicatione2
- Outcome
- superoxide dismutasee2
- Direction
- increasede2
- Value
- 14.9 %e2
- Qualifier
- maximum increasese2
- Comparator
- control (CK) treatmente2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize seedlings”
e2“Ca2+ application increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, as well as the contents of glutathione and ascorbic acid in leaves, with maximum increases of 14.9 %, 65.39 %, 146 %, and 135 %, respectively, compared with the control (CK) treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Ca2+ application increased leaf catalase activity by a maximum of 65.39 % over the control.
- Organ / stage
- leavese2
- Treatment
- Ca2+ applicatione2
- Outcome
- catalasee2
- Direction
- increasede2
- Value
- 65.39 %e2
- Qualifier
- maximum increasese2
- Comparator
- control (CK) treatmente2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize seedlings”
e2“Ca2+ application increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, as well as the contents of glutathione and ascorbic acid in leaves, with maximum increases of 14.9 %, 65.39 %, 146 %, and 135 %, respectively, compared with the control (CK) treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Ca2+ application increased leaf glutathione content by a maximum of 146 % over the control.
- Organ / stage
- leavese2
- Treatment
- Ca2+ applicatione2
- Outcome
- glutathionee2
- Direction
- increasede2
- Value
- 146 %e2
- Qualifier
- maximum increasese2
- Comparator
- control (CK) treatmente2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize seedlings”
e2“Ca2+ application increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, as well as the contents of glutathione and ascorbic acid in leaves, with maximum increases of 14.9 %, 65.39 %, 146 %, and 135 %, respectively, compared with the control (CK) treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Ca2+ application increased leaf ascorbic acid content by a maximum of 135 % over the control.
- Organ / stage
- leavese2
- Treatment
- Ca2+ applicatione2
- Outcome
- ascorbic acide2
- Direction
- increasede2
- Value
- 135 %e2
- Qualifier
- maximum increasese2
- Comparator
- control (CK) treatmente2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize seedlings”
e2“Ca2+ application increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase, as well as the contents of glutathione and ascorbic acid in leaves, with maximum increases of 14.9 %, 65.39 %, 146 %, and 135 %, respectively, compared with the control (CK) treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Ca2+ treatment decreased peroxidase activity by a maximum of 34.38 % compared with CK treatment, significantly.
- Treatment
- Ca2+ treatmente3
- Outcome
- Peroxidase activitye3
- Direction
- decreasede3
- Value
- 34.38 %e3
- Qualifier
- maximum reductione3
- Comparator
- CK treatmente3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize seedlings”
e3“Peroxidase activity significantly decreased under Ca2+ treatment, with a maximum reduction of 34.38 % compared with that under CK treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
Malondialdehyde content increased by 19.84 % over CK treatment under Ca2+ treatment.
- Treatment
- Ca2+ treatmente3
- Outcome
- malondialdehyde contente4
- Direction
- increasede4
- Value
- 19.84 %e4
- Comparator
- CK treatmente4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize seedlings”
e3“Peroxidase activity significantly decreased under Ca2+ treatment, with a maximum reduction of 34.38 % compared with that under CK treatment”
e4“malondialdehyde content markedly increased, reaching 19.84 % higher than that under CK treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
The 5 mM Ca2+ treatment achieved the highest composite antioxidant score in principal component analysis.
- Treatment
- 5 mM Ca2+ treatmente5
- Outcome
- composite scoree5
- Direction
- higheste5
- Qualifier
- principal component analysise5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize seedlings”
e5“principal component analysis revealed that the 5 mM Ca2+ treatment achieved the highest composite score”
Claim · model-written summary
The 5 mM Ca2+ treatment reduced membrane lipid peroxidation caused by excessive Cd accumulation (author interpretation).
- Treatment
- 5 mM Ca2+ treatmente5
- Outcome
- membrane lipid peroxidatione6
- Direction
- reducede6
- Qualifier
- caused by excessive Cd accumulatione6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize seedlings”
e5“principal component analysis revealed that the 5 mM Ca2+ treatment achieved the highest composite score”
e6“reduced membrane lipid peroxidation caused by excessive Cd accumulation”
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