Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
The effects of hydrolyzed keratin (HK) treatments on the growth, cadmium (Cd) accumulation, nitrogen (N) concentration, and FTIR spectral properties of lettuce grown in Cd-contaminated soil was investigated. Curly lettuce was grown in a naturally lit greenhouse. The treatments were as follows: 1-Control 2-Cd-contaminated [Cd, 30 mg Cd kg−1 kg−1]: 3-Cd+HK1 [30 mg Cd and 1.0 mL HK kg−1] 4-Cd+HK2 [30 mg Cd and 2.0 mL HK kg−1]. Cadmium-contamination improved weights of lettuce plants compared to the control, with a similar trend observed in the Cd+HK treatments. The Cd in control plants was 0.48 mg kg−1, which increased to 14.1 mg kg−1 with Cd application. In contrast, HK treatments reduced Cd accumulation to below 11.5 mg kg−1. Although Cd-contamination reduced plant N concentration, the HK2 treatment mitigated Cd toxicity by enhancing N concentrations compared to Cd treatments. FTIR analysis revealed that the spectral region between 1039 and 1392 cm−1 remained unaffected across treatments. However, marked spectral shifts were observed: the peak at 1645 cm−1 in control plants shifted to 1630 cm−1 with Cd-contamination and broadened with Cd+HK1 treatment, while Cd+HK2 restored it to a pattern like the control. Unique peaks at 1720 cm−1 appeared in the HK treatments, and the peak at 2100 cm−1, absent in Cd treatments, reemerged with HK. Additionally, peaks at 2345 and 3738 cm−1, conspicuously present or absent in control plants, were intensified with Cd+HK treatments. Hydrolyzed keratin reduces Cd accumulation in lettuce, partially alleviates Cd-induced stress, and induces specific structural changes detectable by FTIR.