Mobilization of Heavy Metals Induced by Button Mushroom Compost in Sunflower

Button mushroom compost (BMC) was prepared by fermenting the mixture of waste button mushroom bed collected from Boryeong area in South Korea (4): sawdust (8) : pig and fowl manure (1) for 40 days at $30^{\circ}C$. The BMC compromised diverse microorganisms including aerobic bacteria $8.1{\times}10^6cfu\;g^{-1}$, Gram negative bacteria $1.7{\times}10^7cfu\;g^{-1}$, genus Bacillus $6.4{\times}10^6cfu\;g^{-1}$, genus Pseudomonas $1.5{\times}10^4cfu\;g^{-1}$, actinomycetes $1.0{\times}10^4cfu\;g^{-1}$, and fungi $3.5{\times}10^3cfu\;g^{-1}$. BMC was used as a microbial inoculant for estimating the mobilization of heavy metals in soil or plant. When metal solubilization potential of BMC was assessed in a batch experiment, the inoculation of BMC was shown to increase the concentrations of water soluble Co, Pb, Cd, and Zn by 29, 26, 27, and 43% respectively, than those of non-inoculated soils. BMC-assisted growth promotion and metal uptake in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) was also evaluated in a pot experiment. In comparison with non-inoculated seedlings, the inoculation led to increase the growth of H. annuus by 17, 15, 18, and 21% respectively in Co, Pb, Cd, and Zn contaminated soils. Moreover, enhanced accumulation of Co, Pb, Cd, and Zn in the shoot and root systems was observed in inoculated plants, where metal translocation from root to the above-ground tissues was also found to be enhanced by the BMC. The apparent results suggested that the BMC could effectively be employed in enhancing phytoextraction from the soils contaminated with heavy metals such as Co, Pb, Cd, and Zn.