Abstract
ABSTRACT Phytoremediation is a technique that uses plants, whether associated or not to ameliorating agents, for phytostabilization of contaminated soil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of Senna multijuga associated with peat in the phytostabilization of copper contaminated soil. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse for 120 days, using an entirely randomized design in a factorial arrangement (2 x 6), with and without peat (200 mL L-1 soil) and six doses of copper (0, 60, 120, 180, 240, 300 mg kg-1), with six repetitions of each treatment. At 120 days after seedling, the plants were evaluated for height, stem diameter, root and aerial dry matter, contents and accumulated amount of copper in the root system and aerial part. Also, the Dickson quality indexes, as well as tolerance and translocation indexes were analyzed. The results showed that the use of 200 mL of peat L-1 of soil was inefficient as an ameliorating agent for copper-contaminated soil, but it acted as a soil conditioner, increasing the morphological parameters of S. multijuga. In its initial development period, the S. multijuga species presented low copper phytostabilization potential in contaminated soil.
Highlights
Anthropogenic activities, such as mining, industrial and agricultural, have negative impacts on the ecosystem (Gomes et al, 2011)
The height of the plants and dry matter of the aerial part were statistically superior with the use of 200 mL of peat L-1 of soil (Figures 2A, B)
Even when using 200 mL of peat L-1 of soil, the Cu(II) doses caused a linear reduction in the heights of S. multijuga seedlings and quadratic reduction for the dry matter of the aerial part
Summary
Anthropogenic activities, such as mining, industrial and agricultural, have negative impacts on the ecosystem (Gomes et al, 2011). Copper (Cu) is considered a pollutant and its toxic effect reduces plant growth (Taiz & Zeiger, 2013). The application of inadequate copper-based pesticides is among the main causes of soil contamination by this metal (Mackie et al, 2012). The use of woody species is an important strategy for recovering metal contaminated areas. Trees can immobilize large amounts of metals absorbed in the tissues, as a result of the long life cycle and high biomass production (Domínguez et al, 2009; Jensen et al, 2009). A representative of the Atlantic Forest, pau-cigarra (Senna multijuga (Rich.) Irwin and Barn.) is a pioneer species that represents the Fabaceae family, and presents a fast initial growth
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