Metal Availability and Chemical Properties in the Rhizosphere of Lupinus albus L. Growing in a High-Metal Calcareous Soil

Chemical processes in the rhizosphere play a major role in the availability of metals to plants. The objective of this study was to assess the potential of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) for the phytoimmobilisation of heavy metals in a calcareous soil with high levels of Zn and Pb (2,058 and 2,947 μ...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Martínez Alcalá, Isabel, Clemente, Rafael, Bernal, Pilar
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2009
País:España
Institución:Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM)
Repositorio:RIUCAM. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.ucam.edu:10952/7972
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10952/7972
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Heavy metals
Lupinus albus
Phytoimmobilisation
Rhizosphere
Soil contamination
Descripción
Sumario:Chemical processes in the rhizosphere play a major role in the availability of metals to plants. The objective of this study was to assess the potential of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) for the phytoimmobilisation of heavy metals in a calcareous soil with high levels of Zn and Pb (2,058 and 2,947 μg g−1 , respectively) by evaluating the chemical changes in the rhizosphere, relative to bulk soil, which modify the solubility of heavy metals. Plants were cultivated for 74 days in specially designed pots (rhizopots) in which rhizosphere was sampled easily under controlled conditions. White lupin accumulated high concentrations of Mn in the shoots (average of 4,960 μg g−1 ), well above the normal concentration in plants (300 μg g−1 ). But the metal concentrations found in shoots were not at toxic levels. Rhizosphere soil showed a significantly greater redox potential (245 mV) and water-soluble organic carbon content (34.6 μgCg−1 ) than bulk soil (227 mV; 27.6 μg C g−1 ). Root activity decreased EDTA-extractable Pb, Zn and Fe and promoted their precipitation as insoluble compounds in the residual fraction (acid digestion), hardly available to plants. These results indicate the suitability of this annual N2-fixing species for the initial phytoimmobilisation of heavy metals in contaminated soils.