Although plant-white-rot fungi (WRF) remediation is considered efficient in improving polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soil, the prospects for using it remain poorly known. Therefore, we evaluated whether the WRF Crucibulum laeve could improve the phytoremediation of PAH-contaminated soil by Salix viminalis L. A 60-day pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of C. laeve inoculation (using two inoculation treatments and a non-inoculated control) on the phytoremediation potential, growth, and antioxidant metabolism of S. viminalis cultivated in PAH-contaminated soil. The S. viminalis-C. laeve association synergistically caused the highest PAH removal rate. Under the S. viminalis-C. laeve treatment, 80% of the biological concentration and translocation factors for all tissues of S. viminalis were > 1, whereas only 20% of these factors were > 1 when S. viminalis was used alone. C. laeve inoculation remarkably enhanced phytoremediation by promoting S. viminalis-based phytoextraction of PAHs from soils. Furthermore, although C. laeve inoculation altered the antioxidant metabolism of S. viminalis by inducing oxidative stress, thereby inhibiting plant growth, the plant's hardiness enabled it to survive and grow normally for 60 days after treatment. Therefore, phytoremediation using S. viminalis inoculated with C. laeve can be considered a feasible approach for the phytoremediation of PAH-contaminated soil.
Keywords: Antioxidant metabolism; PAH accumulation; Plant growth; Remediation efficiency; Salix viminalis L.; White-rot fungi.