Metal Accumulation Profile of Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don and Celosia argentea L. with EDTA Co-Application

Abstract

The problem of metal-induced toxicity is proliferating with an increase in industrialization and urbanization. The buildup of metals results in severe environmental deterioration and harmful impacts on plant growth. In this study, we investigated the potential of two ornamental plants, Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don and Celosia argentea L., to tolerate and accumulate Ni, Cr, Cd, Pb, and Cu. These ornamental plants were grown in Hoagland’s nutrient solution containing metal loads (50 µM and 100 µM) alone and in combination with a synthetic chelator, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) (2.5 mM). Plant growth and metal tolerance varied in both plant species for Ni, Cr, Cd, Pb, and Cu. C. roseus growth was better in treatments without EDTA, particularly in Ni, Cr, and Pb treatments, and Pb content increased in all parts of the plant. In contrast, Cd content decreased with EDTA addition. In C. argentea, the addition of EDTA resulted in improved plant biomass at both doses of Cu. In contrast, plant biomass reduced significantly in the case of Ni. In C. argentea, without EDTA, root length in Cd and Cu treatments was significantly lower than the control and other treatments. However, the addition of EDTA resulted in improved growth at both doses for Pb and Cu. Metal accumulation in C. argentea enhanced significantly with EDTA addition at both doses of Cu and Cd. Hence, it can be concluded that EDTA addition resulted in improved growth and better metal uptake than treatments without EDTA. Metal accumulation increased with EDTA addition compared to treatments without EDTA, particularly for Pb in C. roseus and Cu and Cd in C. argentea. Based on the present results, C. roseus showed a better ability to phytostabilize Cu, Cd, and Ni, while C. argentea worked better for Ni, Cd, Cu, and Pb.

Metal(loid) tolerance, accumulation, and phytoremediation potential of wetland macrophytes for multi-metal(liod)s polluted water.

“…The TF or shoot:root ratio was also less than 1 suggesting greater metal(loid) accumulation in "below-ground" biomass rather than in "above-ground" biomass. Altogether these data indicate an "excluder" strategy for the macrophytes investigated and their potential for phytostabilization rather than phytoextraction approaches (Wang et al 2020;Qurban et al 2021). The fact that metal(loid) concentrations in the rhizospheric soil increased as exposure time progressed and were signi cantly higher than those measured in the absence of plants for the same time interval, is clearly indicative of active phytostabilization processes by the macrophytes in the rhizosphere.…”

“…However, the technical and economic potential of phytoremediation and the speci c phytoremediation strategy (e.g., stabilization, accumulation, extraction, etc.) need to be carefully assessed for every site or environment (Qurban et al 2021). Identifying the suitable plants via treatability testing at lab scale is an important step in validating a speci c phytoremediation approach for a target site (Nawaz et al 2023).…”

Metal(loid) tolerance, accumulation, and phytoremediation potential of wetland macrophytes for multi-metal(loid)s polluted water.

“…The TF or shoot:root ratio was also less than 1 suggesting greater metal(loid) accumulation in "below-ground" biomass rather than in "above-ground" biomass. Altogether these data indicate an "excluder" strategy for the macrophytes investigated and their potential for phytostabilization rather than phytoextraction approaches (Wang et al 2020ab;Qurban et al 2021). The fact that metal(loid) concentrations in the rhizospheric soil increased as exposure time progressed and were signi cantly higher than those measured in the absence of plants for the same time interval, is clearly indicative of active phytostabilization processes by the macrophytes in the rhizosphere.…”

Sustainability of phytoremediation: Post-harvest stratagems and economic opportunities for the produced metals contaminated biomass

“…The high quantities of phytoremediation biomass can be managed effectively, and many value-added products can be derived from contaminated biomass (Table 3). If the plant used for phytoremediation is ornamental, the flower and potted plants can be sold (Khan et al, 2021;Qurban et al, 2021). Thus, not only the environmental matrices (soil, water, and air) are remediated, but the resulting biomass can produce substantial economic opportunities (Khan et al, 2019a;Raza et al, 2019).…”

“…The research in phytoremediation has improved significantly, and there has been an increase in practical field applications (Afzal et al, 2019;Ujang et al, 2021). This sustainable treatment method removes numerous contaminants, including petroleum hydrocarbon, antibiotics, toxic metals, emerging pollutants like polychlorinated hydrocarbon, pesticides, and many others (Mushtaq et al, 2020;Qurban et al, 2021). In relation to these biotechnological interventions to manage heavy metal-containing post-phytoremediation biomass, however, some major concerns exist (Khan et al, 2021).…”