Cadmium Effects on Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis L.) Morphology and Cd Uptake in Relation to Substrate Acidity/Alkalinity

Anastasia Akoumianaki-Ioannidou,Aggelina Mpantouna,Despoina Kapama,Nicholas K Moustakas

doi:10.15835/nbha47411755

Abstract

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), is a herb with a wide range of use in food preparation and herbal medicine. It is a perennial shrub through which pollutants such as Cd may enter the human food chain Therefore, the aim of this research was to examine the extent to which Cd added to the growth substrate is accumulated by hyssop plants and whether Cd affects the plant’s morphology. Hyssop plants were grown in pots containing a uniform mixture of either moderately acidic or slightly alkaline substrate consisting of peat and perlite (1:1 v/v) to which Cd (CdSO4*8/3H2O) was added (0-control, 1, 2 and 5 mg Cd L-1) during the course of growth. No symptoms of toxicity or nutrient deficiency as well as no differences in plant height were attributed to Cd application irrespective of the growth stage or substrate. Cadmium uptake by aerial organs (shoots) and underground organs (roots) of hyssop increased with Cd application and was higher in the moderately acidic than in the slightly alkaline soil environment. Hyssop is a Cd accumulator and accumulation occurred mainly in the roots in the acidic substrate. Measurement of extractable Cd by diethylene triamine penta acetic acid – triethanol amine (DTPA-TEA) could be used to predict Cd uptake by hyssop plants.

Highlights

Cadmium (Cd) is a widespread pollutant and Cd soil pollution has increased during the 20th century due to mining, atmospheric deposition during zinc smelting, combustion of fossil fuels and disposal of wastes such as cadmium-containing plastic containers and batteries (Alloway and Steinnes, 1999)
Total Cd uptake by hyssop plants increased with Cd dose (Table 1)
Total Cd uptake by hyssop plants here too increased with increasing Cd dose (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Cadmium (Cd) is a widespread pollutant and Cd soil pollution has increased during the 20th century due to mining, atmospheric deposition during zinc smelting, combustion of fossil fuels and disposal of wastes such as cadmium-containing plastic containers and batteries (Alloway and Steinnes, 1999). Cadmium accumulates in the surface soil creating a longterm problem due to its long half-life, which ranges from 15 to 1100 years (Oliver, 1997). Due to its high mobility in the plant-soil system and low degree of attraction to soil colloids, Cd can enter the food chain, with adverse effects on human health (Alloway, 1995). The uptake and accumulation of cadmium in plants varies widely among species, varieties, and tissues (Oliver, 1997) and is influenced by soil factors such as soil cadmium content, pH, salinity, organic matter and the concentration of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), calcium (Ca), zinc (Zn) and chlorine (Cl)

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