Punjabi University, Patiala, said Sunday said that it has achieved a significant breakthrough in developing a method to grow mustard/canola in contaminated soil. The research, conducted by Dr Gurvarinder Kaur under the supervision of Prof Geetika Sirhindi, Head of the Department of Botany, also also received international appreciation in form of publications in Scopus journals and also been recognised in Sydney, Australia, at IRC2023 summit. To attend this conference the research scholar got support from Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. Prof Geetika, explored and evaluated plant based steroid hormone 28-homobrassinolid (28-HBL), which has great potential in making crops particularly Brassica juncea, a canola variety, resilient and have sustainable productivity in the soil which is polluted with heavy metals like cadmium. She told that they experimented and revealed that if 28-HBL supplemented with some endophyte Piriformospora indica, the mitigating potential of B. juncea to cadmium toxicity, enhanced many folds which has been confirmed at physiological and molecular levels. She revealed that the team utilized this specific plant hormone, 28-homobrassinolid (28-HBL), and a beneficial fungus, Piriformospora indica. The hormone helps mustard plants cope with stress caused by cadmium pollution, while the fungus, which resides in the plant’s roots, promotes growth and development. Together, these two elements protect the plant from the harmful effects of toxic cadmium by restricting its movement to the roots, preventing it from reaching the edible parts of the plant. Prof Geetika Sirhindi said that through this innovative research Plant Physiologists not only highlights the promise of phytohormone–microbe synergy in mitigating pollution stress but also provides a sustainable pathway for food safety and agricultural productivity in contaminated zones. Through Dr. Gurvarinder Kaur’s research, it has been highlighted that cadmium is highly toxic to human health. This method ensures that cadmium’s impact is confined to the roots, which are neither used for human consumption nor as animal fodder. She emphasized that the technique also holds promise for naturally remediating contaminated soil. Furthermore, it promotes sustainable and eco-friendly agriculture by eliminating the need for chemical inputs. Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jagdeep Singh praised the study’s relevance in the context of the growing importance of chemical-free agriculture. He stressed the need for further research in this direction to advance sustainable farming practices.
