Behavior of Eucalyptus grandis and E. cloeziana seedlings grown in arsenic-contaminated soil

Abstract

SUMMARYArsenic has been considered the most poisonous inorganic soil pollutant to living creatures. For this reason, the interest in phytoremediation species has been increasing in the last years. Particularly for the State of Minas Gerais, where areas of former mining activities are prone to the occurrence of acid drainage, the demand is great for suitable species to be used in the revegetation and "cleaning" of As-polluted areas. This study was carried out to evaluate the potential of seedlings of Eucalyptus grandis (Hill) Maiden and E. cloeziana F. Muell, for phytoremediation of As-polluted soils. Soil samples were incubated for a period of 15 days with different As (Na 2 HAsO 4 ) doses (0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg dm -3 ). After 30 days of exposure the basal leaves of E. cloeziana plants exhibited purple spots with interveinal chlorosis, followed by necrosis and death of the apical bud at the 400 mg dm -3 dose. Increasing As doses in the soil reduced root and shoot dry matter, plant height and diameter in both species, although the reduction was more pronounced in E. cloeziana plants. In both species, As concentrations were highest in the root system; the highest root concentration was found in E. cloeziana plants (305.7 mg kg -1 ) resulting from a dose of 400 mg dm -3 . The highest As accumulation was observed in E. grandis plants, which was confirmed as a species with potential for As phytoextraction, tending to accumulate As in the root system and stem.

Arsenic toxicity in Acacia mangium willd. and mimosa Caesalpiniaefolia benth. seedlings

“…This indicates that A. mangium can stabilize or extract more As from contaminated soils. The As concentrations found in A. mangium and M. caesalpiniaefolia were similar to those in other tropical shrub and tree species, such as Cajanus cajan, Sesbania virgata, Leucaena leucocephala, Eucalyptus grandis and E. cloeziana, tested under comparable experimental conditions Melo et al, 2010). Although none of these species hyperaccumulates arsenic, their uptake capacity suggests their use for phytostabilization of As-contaminated sites.…”

Small-scale and household methods to remove arsenic from water for drinking purposes in Latin America

“…Since 2005, several works have been done at the Soil Department of the Universidade Federal de Viçosa to evaluate the As-tolerance capacity of different herbaceous, shrubs and tree species (Dias et al, 2010;Mello et al, 2006;Melo et al, 2009Melo et al, , 2010. A strong difference of As-tolerance can be observed among the species (Table 1).…”

Tratamiento de suelos contaminados por metales mediante combinación de técnicas de fitorremediación con adición de biochar

“…Del mismo modo, se observó una tinción morada en los tallos de las plantas crecidas en las macetas enmendadas con biochar, que posteriormente, pasaría a las hojas, las cuales, con el tiempo, tornaron de morado a amarillo (necrosis). Este síntoma es debido a la toxicidad de la planta por As, observado anteriormente en otros estudios con distintos cultivos (Melo, Dias, Mello, & Oliveira, 2009;Melo, Dias, Mello, & Oliveira, 2010).…”