Uptake of titanium and iron by Ipomoea biloba from titaniferrous sands

Abstract

The uptake of titanium and iron by Ipomoea biloba which was found to grow abundantly on titaniferrous sands was investigated. Plant-soil relationships for iron and titanium showed very high correlation coefficients of r = 0.955 ( P < 0.001) and 0.990 ( P < 0.001), respectively, for concentrations in soils vs plants. Population density studies of the plant and the effect of varying levels of titanium and iron on the growth of this plant have been studied. Study of the chemical states of titanium and iron in the plant tissues collected from ilmenite-bearing soils indicated that significant amounts of titanium and iron were associated in ionic forms. The distribution of titanium and iron in the leaf extracts and the observed growth of the plant on different ilmenite bearing soils, suggest that this plant species tolerates high levels of both titanium and iron.