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Evaluation of four grasses for use in phytoremediation of Cs-contaminated arid land soil

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Abstract

We used greenhouse experiments to evaluate cesium (Cs) uptake by four grasses, Agropyron spicatum (Pursh) Scribn & Smith, Leymus cinereus Scribn & Merr., Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn. and Bromus tectorum L., to determine their potential as phytoremediation agents for Cs-contaminated soils. These four species grow well in the Intermountain region of western North America primarily on moderately coarse to coarsely textured soils where annual precipitation ranges from 20 to 50 cm. Whereas A. cristatum and B. tectorum are introduced species from Asia and the Mediterranean region of Europe, respectively, A. spicatum and L. cinereus are native to the Great Plains and Intermountain regions of North America. Plants were grown under two treatments each of: (1) soil Cs (ambient and 50 mg kg−1 + ambient), (2) soil fertility (ambient and ambient + 40 mg N kg−1 and 60 mg P kg−1), and 3) soil moisture (35% and 70% water holding capacity of the potted soils). Shoot Cs concentration in high soil Cs treatments was approximately ten times greater than in low soil Cs treatments. Even though shoot Cs concentrations tended to be lower in high soil Cs-high fertility-high soil moisture treatments than in high soil Cs-ambient fertility-low soil moisture treatments, total Cs uptake was greater because shoot biomass was approximately ten-fold greater. Shoots did not show signs of Cs toxicity in the high soil Cs treatments. We concluded, however, based on the low transfer factors (∼1.0) for all these grasses, that none were strong candidates as phytoremediation agents for Cs-contaminated soils.

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Acknowledgements

We thank P. Cook, M. Hamilton, A. Herera, Dr. A. Ray, J. Bala, Dr. R. Williams, S. Mathies, Dr. C. Radtke, M. Radtke, and D. Key for assistance in providing supplies and equipment, setting up experiments, and sample processing. We are grateful to J. Taylor and Dr. R. Smith, University of Idaho in Idaho Falls, for use of facilities and advice for ICP-MS analysis. Bromus tectorum seeds and helpful information on seed germination were provided by Dr. J. Beckstead, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. Agropyron spicatum seeds were provided by Dr. M. Germino, ISU. We thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments that greatly improved the quality of this paper. Funds and support for this project were provided by the ISU Department of Biological Sciences, the ISU Center for Ecological Research and Education, the Inland Northwest Research Alliance, the ISU Graduate Student Research and Scholarship Committee, a Bechtel Educational Outreach Program grant awarded to R. Inouye, the Idaho National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Cooperative Research, and Sigma Xi. For Inouye, this work was supported by the National Science Foundation IRD Program, however any opinion, finding, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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  1. Lawrence L. Cook

    Present address: Identity Sciences, LLC, c/o Idaho National Laboratory Research Center, 2351 North Boulevard, P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID, 83415, USA

  2. Richard S. Inouye

    Present address: Division of Environmental Biology, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA, 22230, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Ecological Research and Education, Idaho State University, Campus Box 8007, Pocatello, ID, 83209, USA

    Lawrence L. Cook & Richard S. Inouye

  2. Department of Biology, Brandon University, 270–18th Street, Brandon, MB, Canada, R7A 6A9

    Terence P. McGonigle

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Correspondence to Lawrence L. Cook.

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Responsible Editor: Fangjie J. Zhao.

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Cook, L.L., Inouye, R.S. & McGonigle, T.P. Evaluation of four grasses for use in phytoremediation of Cs-contaminated arid land soil. Plant Soil 324, 169–184 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-9942-z

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