Effect of Different Copper Levels on Growth and Morpho-Physiological Parameters in Giant Reed (Arundo donax L.) in Semi-Hydroponic Mesocosm Experiment

Abstract

In Mediterranean countries, the use of copper-based fungicides in agriculture is causing a concerning accumulation of copper in the upper layer (0–20 cm) of soils and water bodies. Phytoremediation by energy crops offers the chance to associate the recovering of polluted environments with the production of biomass for bioenergy purposes. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the morpho-physiological response of giant reed (Arundo donax L.), a well-known energy crop, when treated with increasing concentrations of Cu (0, 150, and 300 ppm) in a semi-hydroponic growing system (mesocosm) for one month. The plant morphology (height and base diameter of the stem, number of stems) was not affected by the treatments. The presence of Cu led to the disequilibrium of Fe and Zn foliar concentration and caused an impairment of photosynthetic parameters: at 150 and 300 ppm the chlorophyll content and the ETR were significantly lower than the control. The study demonstrated that, although the presence of Cu may initially affect the plant physiology, the Arundo plants can tolerate up to 300 ppm of Cu without any adverse effect on biomass production, even when grown in semi-hydroponic conditions.

Supplementation of Organic Amendments Improve Yield and Adaptability by Reducing the Toxic Effect of Copper in Cocksfoot Grass (Dactylis glomerata L. Cv Amera)

“…The content of copper in the environment changes rapidly [15][16][17]. The content and form of this heavy metal in the soil are primarily influenced by geological and climatic conditions, but also by industrial pollution and other anthropogenic sources, especially those associated with agricultural activity [18].…”

Uptake and Utilization of Nitrogen from Organic Fertilizers Influenced by Different Doses of Copper

“…The mobility and availability of heavy metals for plants depend on numerous soil properties, such as grain-size distribution, pH, organic matter content, content of iron and manganese oxides, adsorption capacity, and type of heavy metal [9,10]. One heavy metal whose content in the environment changes dynamically is copper, which has both natural and anthropogenic sources [11][12][13][14]. It is well known that organic matter plays a very important role in the binding of copper, which has a major impact on its availability and toxicity [15][16][17][18][19].…”

Evaluation of heavy metal contamination in copper mine tailing soils of Kitwe and Mufulira, Zambia, for reclamation prospects

“…Excess concentrations of Cu and Co in plants cause symptoms such as chlorosis and necrosis, stunting, leaf discoloration, and root growth inhibition 75 , 76 . The slow growth of bush bean seedlings in response to adding 28 g/l of Fe to soil was previously reported 77 .…”