Phytostabilization potential and microbial response to the reclamation of native Cynodon dactylon in spoil heaps from a multiple-metal mining site in Southwest China

Phytocapping offers a sustainable approach for managing exposed tailings by mitigating pollutant spread and enhancing phytoremediation. This study investigates the potential of Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) as a pioneering plant for rehabilitating tailings from an open-pit lead-zinc mine in Southwest China. Our findings demonstrate that Bermudagrass significantly improved soil quality and multifunctionality compared to adjacent bare tailings. Soil improvements included increases in organic matter (107%), total and available nitrogen (50% and 110%, respectively), available phosphorus (170%), and soil enzyme activities, including β-glucosidase (170%), sucrase (1729%), alkaline phosphatase (3722%), and acid phosphatase (168%). The reclamation process also promoted microbial community succession, altering community composition, improving microbial diversity, and enhancing bacterial biomass from (0.89 ± 0.54) × 10¹⁵ to (9.06 ± 3.25) × 10¹⁵ copies / g in rhizosphere soils. Greenhouse experiments further confirmed Bermudagrass’s resilience to cadmium (Cd), with both mining and non-mining ecotypes thriving in tailing soils and Cd2+ hydroponic solutions (up to 44.5 μM) without evident phytotoxicity. Bermudagrass roots exhibited exceptional Cd accumulation (bioconcentration factor: 181–1006) while minimizing Cd translocation to shoots (translocation factor: < 0.13). Inoculation with Funneliformis mosseae, a restored root-mutually symbiotic fungus, further mitigated Cd-induced phytotoxicity and enhanced plant growth. These findings highlight Bermudagrass as a promising pioneer species for phytostabilization in severely contaminated mining environments, with its rhizosphere microbiome playing a critical role in facilitating ecosystem restoration. Sustainable plant establishment in mine waste rock requires concurrent development of belowground fertility and healthy rhizospheric soil. Ultimately, successful revegetation depends on integrated above and belowground development to achieve long-term ecological restoration.