Pontential of sunflower to remove heavy metals from contaminated soils
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59741/agraria.v23i1.709Keywords:
Soil contamination, remediation, persistence, risk, accumulationAbstract
Over the past few decades, various environmental changes have been observed due to human influence. The waste generated by anthropogenic activities brings with it the presence of heavy metals are toxic pollutants that can be persistent and accumulate in soil and water. The risk of metals in agricultural soils is that crops can absorb these metals and concentrate them in their edible parts, such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. However, one way to remediate soils is through phytoremediation, which uses plants capable of absorbing and storing these metals without affecting their development. An example of this is the sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), which can tolerate and accumulate high concentrations of metals such as lead and cadmium. This herbaceous plant, native to Central and North America, has the capacity to remediate soils contaminated by heavy metals. Sunflowers can store heavy metals in their organs at levels higher than those found in soil, demonstrating a high tolerance to various metals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) to remove heavy metals from contaminated soils.
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