Considering that even contaminated soils are a potential resource for agricultural production, it is essential to develop a set of cropping systems to allow a safe and sustainable agriculture on contaminated lands while avoiding any transfer of toxic trace elements to the food chain. In this review, three main strategies, i.e., phytoexclusion, phytostabilization, and phytoextraction, are proposed to establish cropping systems for production of edible and non-edible plants, and for extraction of elements for industrial use. For safe production of food crops, the selection of low-accumulating plants/cultivars and the application of soil amendments are of vital importance. Phytostabilization using non-food energy and fiber plants can provide additional renewable energy sources and economic benefit with minimum cost of agricultural measures. Phytoextracting trace elements （e.g., As, Cd, Ni, and Zn） using hyperaccumulator species is more suitable for slightly and moderately polluted sites, and phytomining of Ni from serpentine soils has shown a great potential to extract Ni-containing bio-ores of economic interests. We conclude that appropriate combinations of soil types, plant species/cultivars, and agronomic practices can restrict trace metal transfer to the food chain and/or extract energy and metals of industrial use and allow safe agricultural activities.
G. ECHEVARRIAT. STERCKEMANM. O. SIMONNOTJ. L. MOREL
Knowledge of cellular metal homeostasis will provide a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in metal tolerance and hyperaccumulation in metal-hyperaccumulating plants. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry （EDS） was used to determine the localization of cadmium （Cd） in leaves of the Zn/Cd hyperaccumulator Picris divaricata which had a shoot Cd concentration of 565 mg kg-1 after 2 weeks of growth in solution culture supplying 10μ tmol L^-1 CdCl2. The results indicated that Cd was distributed mainly in the trichomes, upper and lower epidermis and bundle sheath cells, with a relatively low level of Cd in mesophyll cells. Mesophyll protoplasts isolated from leaves remained viable after 24 h exposure to CdCl2 at a concentration up to 1 mmol L^-1, indicating their high tolerance to Cd. The intracellular Cd was visualized by staining with Leadmium Green dye, a cellular permeable Cd fluorescence probe. The results showed that the majority of protoplasts （〉 82%） did not accumulate Cd, with only a minority （〈 18%） showing Cd accumulation. In the Cd-accumulating protoplasts, Cd accumulation was depressed by the addition of Fe^2＋, Mn^2＋ and the metabolic inhibitor carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone （CCCP）, but not by Ca^2＋ or Zn^2＋. Furthermore, the entire process of Cd uptake from external solution into the cytoplasm and subsequent sequestration into vacuoles was successfully recorded by confocal images. These results suggested that reduced cellular Cd accumulation and efficient Cd vacuolar sequestration in mesophyll cells might be responsible for cellular Cd tolerance and distribution in the leaves of P. divaricata.
HU Peng-JieGAN Yuan-YuanTANG Ye-TaoZHANG Quan-FangJIANG DanYAO NanQIU Rong-Liang
A rhizobox experiment was conducted to compare iron （Fe） oxidation and changes of pH, redox potential （Eh） and fractions of zinc （Zn） and lead （Pb） in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils of four emergent-rooted wetland plants （Echinodorus macrophyllus, Eleocharis geniculata, Hydrocotyle vulgaris and Veronica serpyllifolia） with different radial oxygen loss （ROL） from roots. The results indicated that all these wetland plants decreased pH and concentration of Fe（II） but increased the Eh in the rhizosphere soils. Pb and Zn were transformed from unstable fractions to more stable fractions in the rhizosphere soils, so decreasing their potential metal mobility factors （MF）. Among the four plants, E. macrophyllus, with the highest ROL and root biomass, possessed the greatest ability in formation of Fe plaque and in the reduction of heavy metal MFs in the rhizosphere soil. Wetland plants, with higher ROLs and root biomass, may thus be effective in decreasing potential long-term heavy metal bioavailabilities.
A pot experiment was conducted with multi-metal （Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn） contaminated acidic soil to investigate changes in available metal burden resulting from the application of industrial wastes （fly ash and steel slag）. The efficiency of amendments- induced metal stabilization was evaluated by diffusive gradients in thin films （DGT）, sequential extraction, and plant uptake. The stability of remediation was assessed by an acidification test and by chemical equilibrium modeling. Addition of fly ash （20 g kg-1） and steel slag （3 g kg-1） resulted in similar increase in soil pH. Both amendments significantly decreased the concentrations of metals measured with DGT （CDGT） and the metal uptake by Oryza sativa L. Significant correlations were found between CDGT and the concentration of a combination of metal fractions （exchangeable, bound to carbonates, and bound to Fe/Mn oxides）, unraveling the labile species that participate in the flux of metal resupply. The capability of metal resupply, as reflected by the R （ratio of CDGT to pore water metal concentration） values, significantly decreased in the amended soils. The CDGT correlated well with the plant uptake, suggesting that DGT is a good indicator for bioavailability. Acidification raised the extractable metal concentration in amended soil but the concentration did not return to the pre-amendment level. Equilibrium modeling indicated that the soil amendments induced the precipitation of several Fe, A1 and Ca minerals, which may play a positive role in metal stabilization. Chemical stabilization with alkaline amendments could be an effective and stable soil remediation strategy for attenuating metal bioavailability and reducing plant metal uptake.
