Bioaccumulation of Cr, Hg, As, Pb, Cu and Ni with the ability for hyperaccumulation by Amaranthus dubius
2012
E04917
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Title
Bioaccumulation of Cr, Hg, As, Pb, Cu and Ni with the ability for hyperaccumulation by Amaranthus dubius
Publication Date
2012
Call Number
E04917
Summary
Amaranthus dubius is a nutritious leafy vegetable that is widely distributed in Africa, Asia and South America. The rapid growth and biomass makes them one of the highest yielding leafy crops, which may be valuable for phytoremediation. Thus, this study investigates the potential of A. dubius for the hyperaccumulation and distribution of chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni) in the different plant organs. The phytoremediation was calculated by the bioconcentration factor and translocation factor of plants grown under controlled conditions in a tunnel house. The metal accumulated was investigated using inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICPMS). Following exposure to 25, 75 and 100 ppm of Cr, Hg, As, Pb, Cu and Ni respectively for four days, A. dubius accumulates Cr, Hg and Pb at the low concentration (25 ppm) and translocates it to the shoots, but at higher concentrations (75 and 100 ppm) the metal is only stored in the roots. In the case of As accumulation at all concentrations, the metal is translocated to the shoots; Cu and Ni indicate that the metal is stored in the roots mainly. This study indicates that A. dubius has limited potential for the bioaccumulation of Cr, Hg, Pb, Cu and Ni, but is capable of hyperaccumulating of As.
Journal Citation
7(4):591-596, AFRICAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
Contact Information
harvest@worldveg.org
Record Appears in
Research > Published Articles