Remediation of Cd-Contaminated Andisol by Arabidopsis halleri ssp. gemmifera

Abstract

Yield and cadmium (Cd) content of Arabidopsis halleri ssp. gemmifera were investigated by field experiments in Andisols at two Cd concentrations for three years. The results were as follows: (1) Dry weight of the harvested plant (above-ground part) did not vary significantly for three crops in each field. (2) Cd yield of the harvested plant (above-ground part) for each crop was 927-1,408 g·ha^-1 in field A (soil Cd content: 4.9 mg·kg^-1) and 122-259 g·ha^-1 in field B (soil Cd content: 1.4 mg·kg^-1). Cd phytoextraction ability of this plant was similar to that of other phytoextraction plants in Japan, as determined in previous studies. This result showed that Arabidopsis halleri ssp. gemmifera is a promising candidate for phytoextraction of soil Cd. (3) Experimental results on soil Cd changes suggest that the applicability of phytoextraction using this plant is high for slightly Cd-contaminated Andisols. (4) Phytoextraction with Arabidopsis halleri ssp. gemmifera is a viable option for remediation of Cd-contaminated Andisols.