Nitrogen of EDDS enhanced removal of potentially toxic elements and attenuated their oxidative stress in a phytoextraction process

Highlights: • The supply of N released from EDDS advanced the phytoremediation process. • EDDS can slowly release N than urea, which enhanced the plant uptake of N. • Nitrogen translocation from root to shoot was improved by the addition of EDDS. • EDDS reduced oxidative stress by metals by promoting antioxidant enzyme activities. • N-rich biodegradable chelants can be suitable for removing PTEs in N-deficient soil. (S,S)-ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) has a strong capacity to mobilize potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in phytoextraction. It can release NH₄⁺-N via biodegradation, which can enhance N supply to soil thereafter promote plant growth and plant resistance to PTEs. However, the advanced feature of released N in the EDDS-enhanced phytoextraction remains unclear. In the current study, the effects of N supply released from EDDS on ryegrass phytoextraction and plant resistance to PTEs were investigated in detail by a comparison with urea. Our results supported that the addition of both EDDS and urea increased N concentration in soil solution, yet EDDS needed more time to release available N for plant uptake and transported more N from root to shoot. Additionally, EDDS significantly increased the concentration of all targeted PTEs, i.e. Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb, in the soil solution, which results in higher levels of their occurrence in plant biomass compared with urea. By contrast, the supply of N slightly enhanced the ryegrass uptake of micro-nutrients, i.e. Cu and Zn, yet it caused negligible effects on nonessential elements, i.e. Cd and Pb. The mobilized PTEs by EDDS lead to elevated oxidative stress because higher levels of malondialdehyde and O₂^{• −} were observed. The supply of N attenuated oxidative stress caused by O₂^{• −} and H₂O₂, which was associated with enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase. Our results advanced the understanding of the exogenous N supply and metal resistance mechanisms in the EDDS-enhanced phytoextraction. This study also highlighted that EDDS can serve as a N source to ease N-deficient problems in PTEs-contaminated soils.