Phytoremediation of Soils Contaminated with Cadmium by Agave americana

• Published in: Journal of natural fibers Vol. 19; no. 13; pp. 4984 - 4992
• Main Authors: Ramana, Sivakoti, Tripathi, Awadhesh Kumar, Kumar, Ajay, Dey, Pradip, Saha, Jayanta Kumar, Patra, Ashok K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Taylor & Francis 01.12.2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Agave americana; Bioaccumulation; bioconcentration factor; Biological magnification; Cadmium; Contaminated land; Drought resistance; Land pollution; Leaves; Phytoremediation; Plants (botany); Sediment pollution; Soil contamination; Soil pollution; Soils; Translocation; translocation factor; 关键词:美洲龙舌兰; 易位因子; 植物修复; 生物浓缩因子
• ISSN: 1544-0478; 1544-046X
• DOI: 10.1080/15440478.2020.1870642

Agave americana was evaluated for its phytoremediation potential of the soils contaminated with Cd. This plant was selected because of its drought tolerance and high biomass. The pot culture experiment was carried with five levels of cadmium (0, 25, 50,100, and 200 mg Cd kg soil −1 ). Parameters, viz. uptake, translocation factor (TF), translocation efficiency (TE), bioconcentration factor (BCF), etc., were calculated to study the phytoremediation potential. The study indicated that the plant was highly tolerant to Cd at lower levels, i.e., up to 50 mg Cd kg soil −1 , but there was a significant reduction in dry weight of root, leaf, and total at higher levels of, i.e.,, 100 and 200 mg Cd kg soil −1 . Cd mainly accumulated in the roots, and exclusion was found to be the principal physiological tolerance mechanism. Based on the tissue concentration of Cd (<100 μg g −1 in the leaves; and TF and BCF <1), A. americana was classified as an excluder of Cd. However, since, the plant could establish an evergreen cover over the contaminated/polluted land surface because of its exponential reproductive capacity, it could be suitable for the phytostabilization of soils contaminated with Cd.