Potential of weed species applied to remediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals.
To screen out a series of ideal plants that can effectively remedy contaminated soils by heavy metals is the main groundwork of phytoremediation engineering and the first step of its commercial application on a large scale. In this study, accumulation and endurance of 45 weed species in 16 families from an agricultural site were in situ examined by using the pot-culture field experiment, and the remediation potential of some weed species with high accumulation of heavy metals was assayed. The results showed that Solanum nigrum and Conyza canadensis can not only accumulate high concentration of Cd, but also strongly endure to single Cd and Cd-Pb-Cu-Zn combined pollution. Thus 2 weed species can be regarded as good hyperaccumulators for the remediation of Cd-contaminated soils. Although there were high Cd-accumulation in Artemigia selengensis, Znula britannica and Cephalanoplos setosum, their biomass was adversely affected due to action of heavy metals in the soils. If the problem of low endurance to heavy metals can be solved by a reinforcer, 3 weed species can be perhaps applied commercially.
Wei
Shu-He
SH
Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecological Process, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
Zhou
Qi-Xing
QX
Wang
Xin
X
Cao
Wei
W
Ren
Li-Ping
LP
Song
Yu-Fang
YF
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002681:China; D035401:Conyza / Q000254:growth & development; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D063245:Plant Development; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D032324:Solanum nigrum / Q000254:growth & development
D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012989:Soil Pollutants