Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

POTENTIALITY OF MARIGOLD FOR LEAD PHYTOEXTRACTION FROM ARTIFITIALLY CONTAMINATED SOIL

Shikha Saxena, Alok Srivastava, V.P.Singh and U.P. Singh

Abstract

Phytoextraction involves specific plant species which can absorb and hyperaccumulate metal contaminants and/or excess nutrients in harvestable root and shoot tissue, from the growth substrate (soil). The objective of present investigation is to examine the lead accumulation efficiency of marigold (Tagetes erecta) in two varieties, i.e. Pusa narangi and Ritu raj and also to evaluate the effects of lead on the growth of marigold. The seeds of both the varieties of marigold were presoaked in distilled water and were sown in the field without any treatment as control plants. After 20 days, the plantlets of marigold of both varieties were transplanted into the pots from the nursery and supplied with different doses of Pb (50, 100 and 200 mgkg-1soil) at 10,15,25 and 30 days. The growth parameters were recorded at 25 and 45 days in the stabilized plants. The result of the present investigation clearly indicate that different concentration of lead (50,100 and 200 mgkg-1 soil) did not affect the growth parameters of marigold in both the varieties in terms of plant height, fresh and dry weight, chlorophyll and protein content significantly but a slight nonsignificant decrease in these parameters was noticed at 25 and 45 days. Among both the varieties Pusa narangi was found to accumulate more metal in its shoot and root in comparison to variety Ritu raj and the variety Pusa narangi was also found to be more resistant to metal toxicity. So the marigold can be considered as a potential economic crop for phytoremediation at lead contaminated sites.