Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.5
4.0
Journals
Plants
Special Issues
Application of Plants in Remediation Processes
share announcement

Application of Plants in Remediation Processes

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant–Soil Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 6176

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Patricia Mussali-Galante

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Environmental Research Laboratory, Autonomous University of the State of Morelos, Avenida Universidad No. 1001, Cuernavaca 62209, Mexico
Interests: ecotoxicology; effects of heavy metals and other xenobiotics; multibiomarkers
Dr. Efraín Tovar-Sánchez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biodiversity and Conservation Research Center, Autonomus University of Morelos State, Cuernavaca 62210, Mexico
Interests: natural hybridization; genetic diversity, extinction; biodiversity; invasion species; conservation; community structure; canopy arthropods; phytoremediation; chemical profile; ecotoxicology
Dr. Daniela Di Baccio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Research Council of Italy, Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CNR-IRET), Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, Pisa, Italy
Interests: plant physiology and biochemistry; plant genetics; plant ecology; abiotic stress tolerance; plant nutrition; phytoremediation; heavy metals; emerging contaminants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to natural and mostly anthropogenic activity, the environment is continuously contaminated with foreign substances. As a result, soils have been heavily polluted with organic and inorganic agents. Hence, there is a growing need for adequate, efficient and cost-effective strategies for the remediation of the growing number of affected soils around the globe. Bioremediation is the most effective management technique for recovering polluted soils. Among the various bioremediation techniques is phytoremediation, an in situ cost-effective technology, which has emerged as the most promising method for remediating polluted soils, using tolerant plant species that have developed interesting mechanisms to cope with chemical environmental stress. In this Special Issue, the background, concepts and applications of phytoremediation are comprehensively discussed. Emphasis is placed on the types, characteristics and ecological traits of accumulator plants and their role in phytoremediation. Genetic, biochemical and physiological mechanisms for managing chemical stress are also discussed. Additionally, the use of amendments, bacteria and fungi, along with their role in phytoremediation, is also reviewed thoroughly from an integrative perspective. Finally, successful examples of in situ phytoremediation using integrative approaches for different chemical agents are presented.

Dr. Patricia Mussali-Galante
Dr. Efraín Tovar-Sánchez
Dr. Daniela Di Baccio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bioremediation
  • phytoremediation
  • hyperaccumulator plants
  • pollution
  • in situ phytoremediation

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

23 pages, 2431 KiB  
Article
Morphophysiological Characterisation of Guayule (Parthenium argentatum A. Gray) in Response to Increasing NaCl Concentrations: Phytomanagement and Phytodesalinisation in Arid and Semiarid Areas
by Daniela Di Baccio, Aurora Lorenzi, Andrea Scartazza, Irene Rosellini, Elisabetta Franchi and Meri Barbafieri
Plants 2024, 13(3), 378; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13030378 - 27 Jan 2024
Viewed by 858
Abstract
Water and soil salinity continuously rises due to climate change and irrigation with reused waters. Guayule (Parthenium argentatum A. Gray) is a desert perennial shrub native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States; it is known worldwide for rubber production and [...] Read more.
Water and soil salinity continuously rises due to climate change and irrigation with reused waters. Guayule (Parthenium argentatum A. Gray) is a desert perennial shrub native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States; it is known worldwide for rubber production and is suitable for cultivation in arid and semiarid regions, such as the Mediterranean. In the present study, we investigated the effects of high and increasing concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) on the growth and the morphophysiological and biochemical characteristics of guayule to evaluate its tolerance to salt stress and suitability in phytomanagement and, eventually, the phytodesalinisation of salt-affected areas. Guayule originates from desert areas, but has not been found in salt-affected soils; thus, here, we tested the potential tolerance to salinity of this species, identifying the toxicity threshold and its possible sodium (Na) accumulation capacity. In a hydroponic floating root system, guayule seedlings were subjected to salinity-tolerance tests using increasing NaCl concentrations (from 2.5 to 40 g L−1 and from 43 to 684 mM). The first impairments in leaf morphophysiological traits appeared after adding 15 g L−1 (257 mM) NaCl, but the plants survived up to the hypersaline conditions of 35–40 g L−1 NaCl (about 600 mM). The distribution of major cell cations modulated the high Na content in the leaves, stems and roots; Na bioconcentration and translocation factors were close to one and greater than one, respectively. This is the first study on the morphophysiological and (bio)chemical response of guayule to different high and increasing levels of NaCl, showing the parameters and indices useful for identifying its salt tolerance threshold, adaptative mechanisms and reclamation potential in high-saline environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Plants in Remediation Processes)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2988 KiB  
Article
Interactive Effect of Irrigation Volume and Planting Density on Growth and Salt Uptake in Field-Grown Drip-Irrigated Suaeda salsa (L.) Pall.
by Qiang Xu, Hongguang Liu, Mingsi Li and Pengfei Li
Plants 2023, 12(6), 1383; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12061383 - 20 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1221
Abstract
Planting halophytes such as Suaeda salsa (L.) Pall. under drip irrigation is a viable solution for the remediation of saline soils. We conducted this study to investigate the effects of different irrigation volumes and planting densities on the growth and salt uptake of [...] Read more.
Planting halophytes such as Suaeda salsa (L.) Pall. under drip irrigation is a viable solution for the remediation of saline soils. We conducted this study to investigate the effects of different irrigation volumes and planting densities on the growth and salt uptake of Suaeda salsa under drip irrigation. The plant was cultivated in a field using drip irrigation at various irrigation volumes (3000 m·hm−2 (W1), 3750 m·hm−2 (W2), and 4500 m·hm−2 (W3)) and planting densities (30 plants·m−2 (D1), 40 plants·m−2 (D2), 50 plants·m−2 (D3), and 60 plants·m−2 (D4)) to examine the effects on growth and salt uptake. The study revealed that the amount of irrigation, planting density, and interaction between the two significantly affected the growth characteristics of Suaeda salsa. The plant height, stem diameter, and canopy width increased simultaneously with an increase in the irrigation volume. However, with an increasing planting density and the same irrigation volume, the plant height first increased and then decreased, while the stem diameter and canopy width decreased simultaneously. The biomass of D1 was the highest with the W1 irrigation, while that of D2 and D3 were highest with the W2 and W3 irrigations. The amount of irrigation, planting density, and their interaction significantly affected the ability of Suaeda salsa to absorb salt. The salt uptake increased initially and then decreased with an increasing irrigation volume. At the same planting density, the salt uptake of Suaeda salsa with the W2 treatment was 5.67~23.76% and 6.40~27.10% higher than that with W1 and W3, respectively. Using the multiobjective spatial optimization method, the scientific and reasonable irrigation volume for planting Suaeda salsa in arid areas was determined to be 3276.78~3561.32 m3·hm−2, and the corresponding planting density was 34.29~43.27 plants·m−2. These data can be a theoretical basis for planting Suaeda salsa under drip irrigation to improve saline–alkali soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Plants in Remediation Processes)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 3170 KiB  
Article
Aspergillus luchuensis, an Endophyte Fungus from the Metal Hyperaccumulator Plant Prosopis laevigata, Promotes Its Growth and Increases Metal Translocation
by Efraín Tovar-Sánchez, Cynthia Margarita Concepción-Acosta, Ayixon Sánchez-Reyes, Ricardo Sánchez-Cruz, Jorge Luis Folch-Mallol and Patricia Mussali-Galante
Plants 2023, 12(6), 1338; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12061338 - 16 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1835
Abstract
Heavy metal pollution is a worldwide environmental and human health problem. Prosopis laevigata is a hyperaccumulator legume that bioaccumulates Pb, Cu and Zn. With interest in designing phytoremediation strategies for sites contaminated with heavy metals, we isolated and characterized endophytic fungi from the [...] Read more.
Heavy metal pollution is a worldwide environmental and human health problem. Prosopis laevigata is a hyperaccumulator legume that bioaccumulates Pb, Cu and Zn. With interest in designing phytoremediation strategies for sites contaminated with heavy metals, we isolated and characterized endophytic fungi from the roots of P. laevigata growing on mine tailings located in Morelos, Mexico. Ten endophytic isolates were selected by morphological discrimination and a preliminary minimum inhibitory concentration was determined for zinc, lead and copper. A novel strain of Aspergillus closest to Aspergillus luchuensis was determined to be a metallophile and presented a marked tolerance to high concentrations of Cu, Zn and Pb, so it was further investigated for removal of metals and promotion of plant growth under greenhouse conditions. The control substrate with fungi promoted larger size characters in P. laevigata individuals in comparison with the other treatments, demonstrating that A. luchuensis strain C7 is a growth-promoting agent for P. laevigata individuals. The fungus favors the translocation of metals from roots to leaves in P. laevigata, promoting an increased Cu translocation. This new A. luchuensis strain showed endophytic character and plant growth-promotion activity, high metal tolerance, and an ability to increase copper translocation. We propose it as a novel, effective and sustainable bioremediation strategy for copper-polluted soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Plants in Remediation Processes)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2343 KiB  
Article
Assisted Phytostabilization of Mine-Tailings with Prosopis laevigata (Fabaceae) and Biochar
by Juan Ramírez-Zamora, Patricia Mussali-Galante, Alexis Rodríguez, María Luisa Castrejón-Godínez, Leticia Valencia-Cuevas and Efraín Tovar-Sánchez
Plants 2022, 11(24), 3441; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11243441 - 9 Dec 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1553
Abstract
Phytoremediation is a cost-effective technique to remediate heavy metal (HM) polluted sites. However, the toxic effects of HM can limit plant establishment and development, reducing phytoremediation effectiveness. Therefore, the addition of organic amendments to mine wastes, such as biochar, improves the establishment of [...] Read more.
Phytoremediation is a cost-effective technique to remediate heavy metal (HM) polluted sites. However, the toxic effects of HM can limit plant establishment and development, reducing phytoremediation effectiveness. Therefore, the addition of organic amendments to mine wastes, such as biochar, improves the establishment of plants and reduces the bioavailability of toxic HM and its subsequent absorption by plants. Prosopis laevigata can establish naturally in mine tailings and accumulate different HM; however, these individuals show morphological and genetic damage. In this study, the effect of biochar on HM bioaccumulation in roots and aerial tissues, HM translocation, morphological characters and plant growth were evaluated, after three and six months of exposure. Plants grown on mine tailings with biochar presented significantly higher values for most of the evaluated characters, in respect to plants that grew on mine tailing substrate. Biochar addition reduced the bioaccumulation and translocation of Cu, Pb, and Cd, while it favored the translocation of essential metals such as Fe and Mn. The addition of biochar from agro-industrial residues to mine tailings improves the establishment of plants with potential to phytoextract and phytostabilize metals from polluted soils. Using biochar and heavy metal accumulating plants constitutes an assisted phytostabilization strategy with great potential for HM polluted sites such as Cd and Pb. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Plants in Remediation Processes)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop