AMF enhance Vicia faba antioxidant defense and suppressing Cd-Pb accumulation by intercropping with hyperaccumulator Sonchus asper

The dataset encompasses the following parameters: colonization rate, spore count, dry weight, chlorophyll *a* and *b* contents, total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), soluble protein content, total glutathione (T-GSH) content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, sulfhydryl (-SH) content, concentrations of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in soil, roots, and shoots, as well as pH. We hypothesized: (1) The intercropping system combined with AMF inoculation would enhance photosynthetic performance and biomass production of plants grown in Cd/Pb-contaminated soils; (2) The intercropping-AMF system would reduce heavy metal uptake and accumulation in the crop species Vicia faba while simultaneously increasing Cd absorption and accumulation in the Cd-hyperaccumulator Sonchus asper; (3) The intercropping-AMF system would improve the antioxidative capacity of plants under Cd and Pb stress.

We found that the intercropping-AMF combination significantly increased dry weight by 60.2% in S. asper and 88.6% in V. faba, enhanced chlorophyll content by 22.8-56.4% and antioxidant capacity by 13.5-23.7% in V. faba, while reducing malondialdehyde by 27.9-57.9%. Additionally, it reduced root Cd concentration in V. faba by 73.3% and increased root Pb accumulation in S. asper by 191%, thereby demonstrating selective metal regulation and improved phytoremediation efficiency.