Alleviation of cadmium and lead stress by A‐mycorrhizal fungi and rock phosphate on maize (Zea mays L.) growth under calcareous soil conditions

Abstract This research was carried out to investigate the impact of A‐mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rock phosphate (RP) (alone and combined) under polluted soil with lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) on maize plant growth and soil nutrients availability under calcareous soil conditions. A greenhouse pot experiment was designed as a two‐factor experiment, remediation sources (RS) as the sub‐main factor with four treatments [control, M (mixed of the two mycorrhizae species, Rhizoglomus irregulare and Rhizoglomus macrocarpium ), RP, and M + RP], and soil pollution sources (PS) as the main factor with nine treatments [control, Pb1 (100 mg Pb /kg soil), Pb2 (500 mg Pb/kg soil), Cd1 (6 mg Cd/kg soil), Cd2 (24 mg Cd/kg soil), Pb1 + Cd1, Pb1 + Cd2, Pb2 + Cd1, Pb2 + Cd2]. The results showed that, under the same conditions of this study, we can recommend the use of coapplication of AMF and RP (M + RP) particularly in contaminated soil with Pb and/or Cd, which supports plants to (i) confront the pollution stress, (ii) improve plants growth and their nutrients content, and (iii) increase the soil available nutrients. Also, maize plants could be labeled as the accumulator of Pb based on (translocation factor > 1) as control and under calcareous soil conditions.