Abstract
Phytoremediation is a promising green technique for the restoration of a polluted environment, but there is often a gap between lab and field experiments. The fern, Pteris vittata L., can tolerate a high soil arsenic concentration and rapidly accumulate the metalloid in its fronds. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are mutualistic fungi that form a symbiosis with most land plants’ roots, improve their growth, and induce stress tolerance. This paper reports the results obtained using P. vittata inoculated with AMF, to extract Arsenic (As) from an industrial site highly contaminated also by other pollutants. Two experiments have been performed. In the first one, AMF colonized ferns were grown for two years under controlled conditions in soil coming from the metallurgic site. Positive effects on plant health and As phytoextraction and accumulation were detected. Then, considering these results, we performed a three year in situ experiment in the industrial site, to assess the remediation of As at two different depths. Our results show that the colonization of P. vittata with AMF improved the remediation process of As with a significant impact on the depth 0–0.2 m.
Highlights
Arsenic (As) is a metalloid included in the V group of the periodic table
We studied the As remediation efficiency of P. vittata, inoculated with a pool of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), firstly in pots containing soil coming from the site object of study, under controlled conditions for two years
We studied the As remediation efficiency of P. vittata inoculated with AMF in a highly heavy metal polluted site
Summary
Arsenic (As) is a metalloid included in the V group of the periodic table It is often considered as heavy metal and in the environment is probably more metallic than non-metallic [1]. It is remarked as one of the top health hazards and linked to bladder, lung, skin, and prostate cancers [2]. It has been shown that As can enter the food chain: rice, which is the staple food for around 50% of the world’s population, can accumulate As more efficiently than other cereals [7] and the accumulation capability is related to cultivar [8,9]. Meharg and co-authors [10] reported that one in 10,000 Italian population will suffer cancer due to exposure of
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