Phytoextraction of DDT-Contaminated Soil at Point Pelee National Park, Leamington, ON, Using Cultivar Howden and Native Grass Species.

Abstract

A field investigation was conducted at three dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)-contaminated areas in Point Pelee National Park (PPNP), Leamington, ON. cultivar Howden and three native grass species, (Michx.) Nash (little bluestem), L. (switchgrass), and (Torr.) A. Gray (sand dropseed) were grown at three different sites in the PPNP having low (291 ng/g), moderate (5083 ng/g), and high (10,192 ng/g) soil DDT contamination levels. A threshold soil DDT concentration was identified at ∼5000 ng/g where the DDT uptake into was maximized, resulting in plant shoot and root DDT concentrations of 16,600 and 45,000 ng/g, respectively. Two native grass species ( and ) were identified as potential phytoextractors, with higher shoot extraction capabilities than that of the known phytoextractor when optimal planting density was taken into account.