title: Heavy metal accumulation by Nicotiana glauca Graham in a solid waste disposal site.
abstract: Nicotiana glauca Graham, is the only perennial shrub growing in a solid waste contaminated site in the Negev desert of Israel. The concentration of heavy metals (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Cd and Pb) in the upper soil layer was significantly higher (p<0.01) than in non-contaminated desert soil. In root and shoot of N. glauca, growing in the site, the concentration of Cu, Zn and Fe was significantly higher (p<0.05) than in plants of a non-contaminated site. In a controlled experiment, the concentrations of Zn and Cu in root of plants grown, in a mixture of contaminated and non-contaminated soil (1:1) was 9.5 and 4.7 higher than that of plants grown in non-contaminated soil, respectively. While Zn was accumulated in shoot of plants grown in contaminated soil (531 mgkg(-1)) in significantly higher concentration than in plants grown in non-contaminated soil (56 mgkg(-1)), no significant differences were found in Cu accumulation. Growth of N. glauca was inhibited on contaminated soil, but no other obvious stress symptoms were apparent. Therefore, long term experiments under controlled conditions are planned to study the mechanism of heavy metal tolerance and accumulation in N. glauca.
authors.affiliation: Albert Katz Department of Dryland Biotechnologies, Desert Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus 84990, Israel.
authors.forename: Oz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Barazani
authors.forename: Peramachi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sathiyamoorthy
authors.forename: Uttam
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Manandhar
authors.forename: Raya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vulkan
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Golan-Goldhirsh
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D007557:Israel; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D012987:Soil / Q000032:analysis*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012987:Soil