Hydroponic System for Growing Gnotobiotic vs. Sterile Plants to Study Phytoremediation Processes

• Published in: International journal of phytoremediation Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 267 - 274
• Main Authors: Kurzbaum, E, Kirzhner, F, Armon, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis Group 2014; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Bacteria; Biodegradation, Environmental; biofilm; biofilm, gnotobiotic plant; Biofilms - growth & development; Bioremediation; Contaminants; Flowers & plants; Germ-Free Life; Hydroponics; Hydroponics - methods; Mathematical models; Phenol; Phenol - metabolism; Phytoremediation; phytoremediation, bioremediation; Plant roots; Plant Roots - growth & development; Plant Roots - metabolism; Plant Roots - microbiology; Plants (organisms); pollution; Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes; Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes - physiology; rhizodeposition; rhizosphere; rhizosphere, phenol; roots; Seedlings - growth & development; Seedlings - metabolism; Seedlings - microbiology; soil; Soil contamination; Zea mays - cytology; Zea mays - growth & development; Zea mays - metabolism; Zea mays - microbiology
• ISSN: 1549-7879; 1522-6514; 1549-7879
• DOI: 10.1080/15226514.2013.773278

In some phytoremediation studies it is desirable to separate and define the specific contribution of plants and root-colonizing bacteria towards contaminant removal. Separating the influence of plants and associated bacteria is a difficult task for soil root environments. Growing plants hydroponically provides more control over the biological factors in contaminant removal. In this study, a hydroponic system was designed to evaluate the role of sterile plant roots, rhizodeposition, and root-associated bacteria in the removal of a model contaminant, phenol. A strain of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes that grows on phenol was inoculated onto plant roots. The introduced biofilm persisted in the root zone and promoted phenol removal over non-augmented controls. These findings indicate that this hydroponic system can be a valuable tool for phytoremediation studies that investigate the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on pollution remediation.