The Possibilities of Using Common Buckwheat in Phytoremediation of Mineral and Organic Soils Contaminated with Cd or Pb

Abstract

The results of this study provided accurate guidance on the possibility of using common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) in phytoremediation practices for mineral soil or organic soils contaminated with Cd or Pb. Based on a model pot experiment, the tolerance of buckwheat to elevated contents of cadmium and lead in organic and mineral soils was examined. The soils were differentiated into neutral and acidic, and amended with metals at doses of 10 mg Cd kg−1 DM and 100 mg Pb kg−1 DM of soil. The growth, development, biomass, translocation coefficient, and tolerance index (TI) of the tested plants were examined. The use of metals caused a weakening of plant growth and development, as well as intensified chlorotic and necrotic changes to the buckwheat leaves. The application of Cd caused a statistically significant decrease in shoot biomass. The plants growing in organic acidic soil were most vulnerable to Cd toxicity. The (TI) values confirm the generally low tolerance of buckwheat to Cd, except for the treatment in organic neutral soil, and the high tolerance of this plant to Pb in all the studied soils.

Efficiency of metal(loid) phytostabilization by white lupin (Lupinus albus), common vetch (Vicia sativa), and buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum).

“…Tamura et al (2005) to be tolerant to high Pb concentrations but the growth conditions described by the authors were more optimal (soil had higher pH and CEC) and our soil contained other contaminants such as As. Domańska et al (2021) proposed buckwheat for Pb phytostabilization and showed that plants had biomass closed to control plants but in their experiments the soil had a higher pH and / or contained more organic matter than in ours. A recent review reported vetch tolerance to Cd, Cu, and Zn, as well as sensitivity to Ni, but the literature does not mention any studies of vetch plants exposed to Pb (Ramírez-Parra and De La Rosa 2023).…”

Assessment of the Accuracy of Nutrition Label and Chemical Composition of Plant-Based Milks Available on the Italian Market

“…Pb was determined in 10 products, with concentrations of 0.0051-0.017 mg/L; followed by As, found in 7 beverages in amounts between 0.0043-0.028 mg/L; and Cd was quantified in 3 PBMs in the range of 0.0042-0.013 mg/L. All of these elements were determined at high levels in buckwheat PBMs (As: 0.013 mg/L, Pb: 0.017 mg/L, and Cd: 0.013 mg/L), probably due the capacity of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) to develop mechanisms responsible for the increased uptake of toxic components without harming the plant organism, although the risk of toxicity in subsequent links of the food chain remains [62]. Additionally, the rice and rice and hazelnut PBMs were characterized by the highest levels of As due to the well-known capacity of the species Oryza sativa to take up such metalloids from the soil and water used for irrigation.…”

Biomonitoring of Heavy Metal and Metalloid Contamination in Industrial Wastewater Irrigated Areas Using Sugar Beet (Brassica oleracea L.)

“…Metal values in plant tissues are denoted by the acronym C veg (mg/kg, dry weight), whereas the term C soil (mg/kg, dry weight) refers to metal concentration in soil [27][28][29].…”