Potential of Mestha (Hibiscus sabdarifa) for Remediation of Soils Contaminated with Chromium

ABSTRACT

The uptake and translocation of chromium (Cr VI) by an important fiber crop, i.e., mestha (Hibiscus sabdarifa) was investigated to evaluate its potential for cleanup of soil contaminated with Cr. The plants were exposed to different levels of Cr (0–200) mg Cr Kg⁻¹ soil. Up to 100 mg Cr Kg⁻¹ soil, Cr did not inhibit seedling emergence, but at 200 mg Cr Kg⁻¹ soil, the emergence of seedlings decreased by 33%. Beyond 10 mg Cr Kg⁻¹ soil, Cr was toxic to the plants and resulted in a significant reduction in growth of plants. Cr concentration beyond 25 mg Cr Kg⁻¹ soil resulted in mortality of the plants. The level found in the tested plant was relatively low (< 300 µg g⁻¹) and the translocation factor was < 1 in comparison with the plants classified as Cr hyperaccumulator. Nevertheless, the plant could be suitable for phytostabilization purposes.

摘要

本文研究一种重要的纤维作物（例如mestha，芙蓉类 sabdarifa）对铬（Cr VI）的吸收和易位，以评估其对铬污染土壤的清理潜力。在研究中，植物暴露于铬含量不同的（0–200）毫克 Cr Kg 10⁻¹土壤中。在低于 100 毫克 Cr Kg⁻¹ soil 的土壤中，铬没有抑制出苗，但在 200 毫克 Cr Kg⁻¹ 土壤中，出苗下降了 33％。土壤中超过 10 毫克 Cr Kg⁻¹ ，则铬对植物呈现出毒性并导致植物生长显著减慢。Cr 浓度超过 25 毫克的 Cr Kg⁻¹土壤会导致植物死亡。在被检测的植物中发现的铬含量相对较低 (< 300 μg g 15⁻¹)，与归类为富铬的植物相比，易位系数 < 1。虽然如此，这种植物适用于植物稳定目的。

KEYWORDS:

• Bioconcentration factor
• chromium
• mestha
• phytoremediation
• transfer factor

关键词:

• 生物富集系数
• 铬
• mestha
• 植物修复
• 易位系数

Acknowledgment

The authors thank the Director, Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal for providing the facilities for conducting this experiment.