Responses of Cynara cardunculus L. to single and combined cadmium and nickel treatment conditions

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety Vol. 74; no. 2; pp. 195 - 202
• Main Author: Papazoglou, E.G.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: San Diego, CA Elsevier Inc 01.02.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Aqueous solutions; Biodegradation of pollutants; Biological and medical sciences; Biological Availability; Biotechnology; Cadmium; Cadmium - pharmacokinetics; Cadmium - toxicity; Cd accumulator; Cynara - drug effects; Cynara - growth & development; Cynara - metabolism; Cynara cardunculus; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Energy crops; Environment and pollution; Food crops; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Greece; Greenhouses; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Nickel; Nickel - pharmacokinetics; Nickel - toxicity; Phytoremediation; Plant toxicity; Plants (organisms); Roots; Safety; Soil (material); Soil - analysis; Soil Pollutants - pharmacokinetics; Soil Pollutants - toxicity; Spectrophotometry, Atomic; Tolerance; Uptake; Uptakes; Cadmium; Energy crops; Cynara cardunculus; Food crops; Tolerance; Nickel; Plant toxicity; Cd accumulator; Uptake; Phytoremediation; Ecotoxicology; Toxicity; Compositae; Heavy metal; Feeding; Pollutant; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Environment; Ecological recovery; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2010.06.026

A greenhouse pot experiment was carried out to study the responses of Cynara cardunculus L. (cardoon) to cadmium and nickel. Three groups of 12 pots each were planted with cardoon plants and spiked with single and combined cadmium and nickel aqueous solutions. The bioavailable metal concentrations, measured in soil, ranged widely and were up to 246.7 mg kg −1 for Cd and 61.1 mg kg −1 for Ni. Under Cd treatment, cardoon growth remained unaffected, while increased Ni soil concentrations inhibited plant growth and were lethal to the highly treated plants. In the combined Cd and Ni treatments, an antagonistic effect was observed between the two metals. Cadmium and nickel concentrations in cardoon tissues rose with increasing metal concentrations in the soil. Cadmium and nickel contents in shoots reached 169.3 and 342.3 mg kg −1 in the single treatments while, under the combined Cd and Ni treatments, they were up to 235.0 and 440.7 mg kg −1, respectively. Generally, mean contents of both metals in the shoots were higher than in the roots and the translocation factor was greater than 1. A possible enhancing effect of nickel on cadmium uptake was observed. Cardoon showed characteristics of a Cd accumulator.