Seyed Mahdi Alizadeh - Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Ramin Agriculture and Natural Resources University, Mollasani, Ahvaz, Iran

Nowadays, heavy metals constitute a global environmental treat. Plants could be utilized to remediate metal contamination by removing metal from contaminated soil. Through a pot experiment, the bioaccumulation of Cr (VI) in Populus nigra L. one-year old rooted cuttings and the effect of this heavy metal on plant growth were assessed. Three concentrations of Cr contamination including 50 mg kg−1, 100 mg kg−1 and 150 mg kg−1 [were spiked as potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7)] and one as uncontaminated soil (the control, no external Cr) were organized. The pots were filled with the contaminated soil and the prepared cuttings transplanted into the pots. At the end of growing season, the amounts of Cr accumulation in leaves, shoots, roots and growth responses were measured. The results indicated that Cr concentrations in leaf, shoot and root were increased with the increase of Cr supply and the order root >shoot >leaf of Cr concentration was observed. Considering Cr total uptake, it can be concluded that, P.nigra L. is a suitable species for phytoremediation of Cr-contaminated soils.

Bioaccumulation, Heavy metal, Phytoremediation, Populus nigra L., Uptake