Uptake of Cadmium by Lemna minor , a (hyper?-) accumulator plant involved in phytoremediation applications

• Main Authors: Bianconi, D., Pietrini, F., Massacci, A., Iannelli, M. A.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accumulators; Aquatic plants; Bioaccumulation; Biological magnification; Cadmium; cadmium (Cd); chlorophyll a fluorescence; Climatic conditions; Data analysis; Data processing; Duckweed; Environmental health; Exposure; Growth rate; Heavy metals; Lemna minor; Occupational health; Photosystem II; Phytoremediation; Plants (botany); Public health; Sediment pollution; Soil contamination; Soil pollution; Titanium; Toxicity
• ISSN: 2267-1242; 2555-0403; 2267-1242
• DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/20130113002

Metal pollution in waters and soils is a major environmental and human health problem. Cadmium (Cd2+) is a heavy metal displaying toxic effects in plants. In this work we studied the potentiality of Lemna minor, a monocotyledonous aquatic macrophyte, to phytoremediate cadmium-polluted waters. The plants were exposed to different cadmium concentrations 0, 13, 22 and 46μM CdSO4 for a period of 24, 48 and 72 hours. Relative growth rates (RGR), bioconcentration factor (BCF), tolerance index (Ti), cadmium uptake in whole plant and maximum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) were measured under controlled climate conditions. RGR, Ti and Fv/Fm declined with increasing exposure time and cadmium concentrations, while the BCF and cadmium uptake showed an opposite behavior. Data analysis of RGR, BCF, Tiand FV/FM indicates that L. minor maintains a good capacity of growth, metal bioconcentration, tolerance and efficiency of PSII up to 48h in plants exposed to 13 and 22μM CdSO4. Our results exhibited that L. minor is a good cadmium accumulator and is able to remediate Cd-polluted waters, especially at low Cd concentrations.