Copper Phytoaccumulation and Tolerance by Seedlings of Native Brazilian Trees

Abstract

Atlantic Forestry is one of the most important biomes that has been reduced by deforestation. Plants as Senna multijuga and Erythrina crista-galli are important for this ecosystem. High concentrations of copper in the soil can be toxic to plants and other organisms. There are many situations of copper-contaminated areas that need intervention for recovering the natural and or a sustainable condition of the environment. This study is a preliminary study in a wide project, studying different species and conditions for reclamation of areas contaminated with copper. The study aimed to evaluate the initial growth, tolerance, and copper phytoremediation of S. multijuga and E. crista-galli, both native trees from Atlantic forestry. The seedling is the most important phase in the growth of species in the field. This study was conducted for 120 days in a greenhouse experiment, using a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement (2 × 6). Plant height, stem diameter, dry weight of the roots and the shoots, the cumulative amount of copper in the roots and the shoots, Dickson quality index, tolerance index, translocation index, and bioaccumulation factor were measured. Results indicated that doses of copper reduced morphological parameters of the plants and it may reduce the growth and stabilization of the plants in the following steps. Copper uptake by plants was predominantly accumulated in the root system, with a low translocation toward shoots. E. crista-galli and S. multijuga did not demonstrate high tolerance to the highest copper concentrations in this study; however, they had tolerance to this metal and can be used for reclamation of copper-contaminated areas.