Phytoremediation assessment of Gomphrena globosa and Zinnia elegans grown in arsenic-contaminated hydroponic conditions as a safe and feasible alternative to be applied in arsenic-contaminated soils of the Bengal Delta

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 187; no. 6; p. 387
• Main Authors: Signes-Pastor, A. J, Munera-Picazo, S, Burló, F, Cano-Lamadrid, M, Carbonell-Barrachina, A. A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer-Verlag 01-06-2015; Springer International Publishing; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: absorption; Agricultural land; Agricultural pollution; Agricultural practices; agricultural soils; Agriculture; Arsenic; Arsenic - analysis; Arsenic - metabolism; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bangladesh; Biodegradation, Environmental; Crop rotation; Drinking water; Drought; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental Monitoring; Farmers; Feasibility studies; Ferns; Ferns - physiology; ferns and fern allies; floriculture; floriculture crops; Flowering; Flowering plants; flowers; Flowers & plants; food chain; Food chains; Food contamination; Food contamination & poisoning; Food safety; Food security; Food sources; Gomphrena globosa; Groundwater; Groundwater irrigation; Groundwater pollution; hydrides; Hydroponics; income; India; irrigation; leaves; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Phytoremediation; Phytotoxicity; Plant growth; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Plant Roots - chemistry; polluted soils; Rice; roots; Security programs; Soil - chemistry; Soil contamination; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - metabolism; Soil pollution; Spectral analysis; Spectrophotometry, Atomic; stems; Sustainability; Vegetables; villages; Zinnia elegans; Zinnia violacea; Bangladesh; India; ISW, Bangladesh, Bengal Delta; ISW, Bangladesh; Farmer income; Flower farming; Soil sustainability; Plant uptake; Total arsenic
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-015-4618-z

Several agricultural fields show high contents of arsenic because of irrigation with arsenic-contaminated groundwater. Vegetables accumulate arsenic in their edible parts when grown in contaminated soils. Polluted vegetables are one of the main sources of arsenic in the food chain, especially for people living in rural arsenic endemic villages of India and Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of floriculture in the crop rotation system of arsenic endemic areas of the Bengal Delta. The effects of different arsenic concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg As L⁻¹) and types of flowering plant (Gomphrena globosa and Zinnia elegans) on plant growth and arsenic accumulation were studied under hydroponic conditions. Total arsenic was quantified using atomic absorption spectrometer with hydride generation (HG-AAS). Arsenic was mainly accumulated in the roots (72 %), followed by leaves (12 %), stems (10 %), and flowers (<1 %). The flowering plants studied did not show as high phytoremediation capacities as other wild species, such as ferns. However, they behaved as arsenic tolerant plants and grew and bloomed well, without showing any phytotoxic signs. This study proves that floriculture could be included within the crop rotation system in arsenic-contaminated agricultural soils, in order to improve food safety and also food security by increasing farmer’s revenue.