Potential for Salix schwerinii Е. Wolf to uptake heavy metals in the contaminated territories of mining industry in the north-west Russia

• Main Authors: E. N. Terebova, E. F. Markovskaya, V. I. Androsova, N. A. Galibina, E. L. Kaipiainen, M. A. Salam, A. O. Villa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch Publishing House 2017-02-01
• Series: Сибирский лесной журнал
• Subjects: Salix schwerinii; phytoremediation; heavy metals; photosynthetic pigments; biometric parameters; specific leaf area; joint stock company «Karelsky Okatysh»; Republic of Karelia
• Online Access: http://xn--80abmehbaibgnewcmzjeef0c.xn--p1ai/upload/iblock/528/52858a0e5ea9617d8675d345abeb45ac.pdf

The study was carried out on the industrial territory of Joint Stock Co. «Karelsky Okatysh» (Russia, Republic of Karelia, Kostomuksha). The species Salix schwerinii E. Wolf (Finland) was used as a phytoremediant and was cultivated on the contaminated territory of the mining enterprise – the tailing dump (the main pollutants being Ni and Fe). After one year, the willow plant samples were divided into two groups: healthy plants with higher biomass production (HBP) and suppressed plants with lower biomass production (LBP). The root system of HBP and LBP plants had no differences, but aboveground biomass was higher in HBP willow plants. The content of photosynthetic pigments was low in both groups of willows at (1.62 ± 0.10) mg/g wet weight. SLA index (specific leaf area) was 1.53 mm2 mg–1 and 1.21 mm2 mg–1 in HBP and LBP groups, correspondingly. About 50–90 % of Ni, Fe, Mn, Co, Cu, Cr were absorbed by the roots and leaves of willow. All of these elements accumulated in maximal amounts in the roots (70 %) of plants from the HBP group, while in the LBP group they accumulated mostly in leaves (70 %). Pb was deposited in the roots, leaves and bark (20–30 % for each structure), Cd, Zn – in the bark (50–60 %). According to the coefficient of biological absorption, heavy metals in the willow plants formed the following sequence: Zn (8) > Mn (6–8) > Cd (4–6) > Cu (4–5) > Pb (3) > Co (1) > Ni (0.6) = Cr (0.5–0.7) > Fe (0.2).