Potential for Plant-Based Remediation of Pesticide-Contaminated Soil and Water using Nontarget Plants such as Trees, Shrubs, and Grasses

Abstract

Appropriate environmental management of pesticides includes their proper application, use of filter strips and riparian buffers to contain pesticides in runoff from fields, prompt cleanup of spills, and treatment processes for wastewater associated with manufacturing and equipment usage. Plants have beneficial effects in the management of pesticide-contaminated soil and water, including direct metabolism of many pesticides, stimulation of microbial activity in the root zone, extraction of contaminated water, and reduction of infiltrating contaminated water. In this work, we review the literature on nontarget plants that can grow in pesticide-contaminated soil and water, and the fate of pesticides in filter strips, riparian buffers, and vegetated remediation environments. Past research indicates that there are significant differences in the tolerance of plants to pesticides present in soil and water, and that some plants are more effective than others in the remediation of pesticide-contaminated soil and water. Thus, there is value in the identification of tolerant plants and favorable plant-based remediation technologies for management of pesticides and contaminated sites.

Keywords:

• degradation
• herbicides
• pesticides
• phytoremediation
• riparian buffers
• vegetation

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This is contribution #03-351-J of the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station. This research was partially supported by the U.S. EPA under assistance agreements X-82893901, R-815709, R-819653, R-825549, and R-825550 to the Great Plants/Rocky Mountain Hazardous Substance Research Center for Regions 7 and 8. It has not been submitted to the EPA for peer review and therefore may not necessarily reflect the views of the agency, and no official endorsement should be inferred. We thank Gary Turner for assistance with respect to international cooperation between the U.S. and Kazakhstan.

Notes

∗Plants were older than two weeks.