EFFECTS OF NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS LEVELS, AND FROND-HARVESTING ON ABSORPTION, TRANSLOCATION AND ACCUMULATION OF ARSENIC BY CHINESE BRAKE FERN (PTERIS VITTATAL.)

Phytoremediation of arsenic-contaminated groundwater using arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata L.: Effects of frond harvesting regimes and arsenic levels in refill water

“…Similar conclusions were derived from our previous greenhouse studies, where ferns with harvest (15-cm from rhizome) and without harvest were equally effective in removing arsenic from water [10]. Earlier studies indicated that traits of P. vittata such as its perennial nature, high arsenic accumulation in the fronds, rhizomes as alternate tissue for As storage, and little arsenic in the roots, all made it suitable for reuse in long-term As phytofiltration [9,10,21,22]. Hence, in this study, at the end of Cycle 1 (17 wks), remediated water from all tanks with ferns was discharged and the plants were reused for Cycle 2.…”

“…This indicates that rhizome may be a secondary storage structures for As accumulation in P. vittata. Similar results were reported in previous studies where rhizomes were reported as "buffer" tissue for As storage [10,22,28]. The solid and open data points represent high-As water (140/180 g/l) and low-As water (<7 g/l) refill, respectively.…”

“…Many bench scale and greenhouse studies were conducted using arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata L. [6]. These studies showed that this fern has potential as a biofilter for As-contaminated groundwater [7][8][9][10]. However, cost-effective cultivation practices to grow the ferns have not been well defined because this fern is of little commercial importance.…”

Optimum P levels for arsenic removal from contaminated groundwater by Pteris vittata L. of different ages

“…The As-contaminated groundwater was collected from South Florida, which was contaminated from past application of arsenic herbicides [1]. It had the following characteristics: pH 7.8, electrical conductivity = 190 S cm −1 , total As = 126 g L −1 , N = 0.40 mg L −1 , P = 0 mg L −1 , K = 4.40 mg L −1 , Ca = 36.3 mg L −1 , Mg = 3.40 mg L −1 , S = 3.43 mg L −1 , Na = 12.6 mg L −1 , and Zn = 1.80 mg L −1 .…”

“…It uses arsenic-hyperaccumulators to move arsenic from water into harvestable biomass [1]. Among the eight known arsenic-hyperaccumulators, Pteris vittata L (Chinese brake fern) is the most studied [2].…”