Phytoremediation ability of some floricultural plant species

Abstract

Chromium (Cr) is one of the most common heavy metals affecting the soil quality which is introduced into the environment from industries such as leather tanning, electroplating and inorganic pigment (green, orange and yellow) production. The leather industry is the major source for the environmental influx of Cr. Cleaning up of the Cr contaminated sites is a challenging task. Phytoremediation is an emerging area that could be considered for the remediation of contaminated sites because of its cost effectiveness and aesthetic advantages. An experiment was therefore was conducted to study the phytoremediation ability of different floriculture plant species (calendula, chrysanthemum, aster and dahlia). In all the four plant species, Cr beyond 10 ppm was toxic to the plants resulting in a drastic reduction in growth of plants. At 25 ppm, Cr mediated mortality of the plants was observed in chrysanthemum. In calendula and dahlia the application of Cr beyond 10 ppm inhibited flowering. The data on the partitioning of Cr revealed that the highest concentration of Cr was found in the roots and was followed by shoots and flowers. Dahlia recorded the highest concentration of Cr and calendula the least. Our results suggest that, among the four floriculture plant species only calendula is a good candidate for phytoremediation of soils contaminated with low level of Cr (up to 10 ppm).