Author(s):

Shyamala Lionel and Dr. R Joel Karunakaran

Abstract: To study the uptake of chromium from soil by the plant Canna indica L, a particular soil was chosen and screened for heavy metals. The soil was found to contain heavy metals other than chromium. This soil was spiked with chromium doses of 30 mg and 60 mg and the plant Canna indica L was chosen to phyto extract chromium from the spiked soil. The plant Canna indica L was selected as it is a sturdy, perennial, non edible plant with bright flowers and grows in adverse climatic conditions through out the year. The growth of the plant in different concentrations of chromium spiked soil was monitored. The uptake of chromium by the different plant parts were recorded on the 5^th, 10^th and 20^th days. The experiments were repeated keeping all other conditions identical and adding 10% of coconut shell biochar to the soil. The growth of the plant and uptake of chromium by the plants were studied in the biochar amended soil. The plants phytostabilized chromium in the root region, not translocating it to the other parts and withstood the toxicity of chromium for 20 days.

Pages: 146-152  |  2635 Views  504 Downloads

Download (523KB)