Phytoextraction of Zinc, Copper, Nickel and Lead from a Contaminated Soil by Different Species ofBrassica

Abstract

In a pot culture experiment, five different species of Brassica (Brassica juncea, Brassica campestris, Brassica carinata, Brassica napus, and Brassica nigra) were grown for screening possible accumulators of heavy metals, viz. Zn, Cu, Ni, and Pb. The plants were grown to maturity in a soil irrigated with sewage effluents for more than two decades in West Delhi, India. The soil analysis showed enhanced accumulation of Zn, Cu, Ni, and Pb in this sewage-irrigated soil. Among all species, B. carinata showed the highest concentration (mg kg(-1)) as well as uptake (microg pot(-1)) of Ni and Pb at maturity. Although B. campestris showed a higher concentration of Zn in its shoots (stem plus leaf), B. carinata extracted the largest amount of this metal due to greater biomass production. However, B. juncea phytoextracted the largest amount of Cu from the soil. In general, the highest concentration and uptake of metal was observed in shoots compared to roots or seeds of the different species. Among the Brassica spp., B. carinata cv. DLSC1 emerged as the most promising, showing greater uptake of Zn, Ni, and Pb, while B. juncea cv. Pusa Bold showed the highest uptake of Cu. The B. napus also showed promise, as it ranked second with respect to total uptake of Pb, Zn, and Ni, and third for Cu. Total uptake of metals by Brassica spp. correlated negatively with available as well as the total soil metal concentrations. Among the root parameters, root length emerged as the powerful parameter to dictate the uptake of metals by Brassica spp. Probably for the first time, B. carinata was reported as a promising phytoextractor for Zn, Ni, and Pb, which performed better than B. juncea.

Nitric Oxide Pre-Treatment Advances Seed Germination and Alleviates Copper-Induced Photosynthetic Inhibition in Indian Mustard

“…Indian mustard ( Brassica juncea L.) being the hyperaccumulator of metal(oids) can accumulate a high concentration of Cu and translocate much into above-ground parts that can be detrimental to any plant growth. Thus, maintaining Cu-homeostasis is essential for a plant to survive under high Cu, either through vacuolar sequestration, storage, or transport of metal ions from the cytoplasm to outer compartments [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. This ability of B. juncea makes it a suitable model plant material to study the impact of high Cu concentration.…”

Response of Two Brassica Species to the Toxic Effect of Different Copper Concentration

“…B. alba were less than Brassica napus in the production of large biomass of shoot as well as having a high concentration of copper in shoots and roots. Previously reported that B. juncea shows good accumulation of several heavy metals, including copper [27] [28]. Fargasova reported that B. alba have the ability to accumulate many heavy metals, including copper in the root and in greater numbers than in the shoot of plants [29].…”

Chelate-assisted phytoextraction: Effect of EDTA and EDDS on copper uptake by Brassica napus L.

“…At harvest, the concentration of Cu in the control plants was 16.5 mg kg -1 dry weight in the shoots and 220.6 mg kg -1 dry weight in the roots, which is in good agreement with the results of experiments on copper uptake by B. napus when no amendments were applied. 26,27 These results indicate that Cu uptake and translocation from roots to shoots was limited in the absence of amendments.…”