Phytoremediation of Copper and Arsenic Contaminated Soil Using Gladiolus (Gladiolus grandifloras) and Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) Plants

Abstract

Heavy metal toxicity in the soil causes harmful effects on plants as well as on human health. They are introduced into the soil by different means like smelting, burning of coal, and excess use of fertilizers, sewage sludge, and pesticides. Among different heavy metals Copper and arsenic are very important but their higher concentrations cause several morphological and biochemical in plants. They become part of the food chain when fruits and vegetables are grown in contaminated soil and can cause serious health issues to consumers. On the other hand, ornamental plants are used for aesthetic beautification and could be explored for the phytoremediation of soil heavy metals. A recent study was conducted to observe the phytoremediation potential of Gladiolus (Gladiolus grandifloras) and chrysanthemum against different levels of Copper (80 and100µg/kg of soil) and arsenic (80 and 100 µg/kg) in the soil under completely randomized design. Data of accumulated quantity of heavy metals were noted after the flowering stage of both plants by dividing into four parts including roots, stem, leaves, and flowers. Both Gladiolus and chrysanthemum accumulated significant amounts of Cu and As in roots, stem, leaves, and flower. Gladiolus and chrysanthemum accumulated 367, 456, 796 and 1278ppm Co and 356, 571, 832 and 1478ppm As respectively. Chrysanthemums took up significant amounts of Cu in the stem and easily translocated from stem flowers. The translocation ability of chrysanthemum was higher for both metals compared to Gladiolus. The data were analyzed by mini tab statistics 8.1.