Arsenic mobilization and plant uptake from an industrial contaminated soil in tuscany (italy). Crop plants vs Pteris vittata

We evaluated the phytoextraction capacity of crop plants (Helianthus annuus, Brassica juncea and Lupinus albus) and the As hyperaccumulator (Pteris vittata), in arsenic contaminated soil. Phosphate application to maximize the efficiency of arsenic removal was tested for crop plant and P. vittata. Arsenic uptake by crop plants was determined after 60 days of growing while Pteris Plants were monitored at different times in a 9 months experiment. Results showed an increase of As uptake in crop plants of about 10 times after phosphate addition. H. annuus had the highest As accumulation up to 500 mgKg-1. P. vittata, during the growing period, progressively increased the As uptake reaching the maximum content of about 3000 mg/Kg in fronds. In the phosphate treated pot, Pteris increased the As uptake faster than in non treated pot. In terms of phytoextraction capacity, at the end of the experiment treated and not treated plants showed the same ability in the As phytoextraction. The As monile species were determined by a simplified chemical extraction (H2O and K2HPO4).