Varied Responses Of Growth And Mineral Elements Concentrations In Pennisetum Ericanum And Festuca Arundinacea Under Cd/Cu Addition

An experiment was carried out to compare cadmium and copper absorption and mineral nutrition accumulation in pennisetum and tall fescue in order to select an appropriate grass to remediate Cd/Cu-contaminated soil and explore their detoxification mechanisms of contamination by mineral elements. The biomass remained constant in tall fescue under each Cd addition level and increased in pennisetum until Cu reached 500 mu M, whereas they dramatically decreased as the Cu or Cd solution increased, which was concurrent with quadratic regression model analysis. The Cd/Cu concentrations in tall fescue were mostly accumulated in the roots and were much higher than those in pennisetum. The extracted amount of Cd in the shoots and the total Cu concentrations of pennisetum were higher than the corresponding values in tall fescue at every Cd/Cu addition level. Negative correlations were observed between Cd and shoot Ca, Cu, K, Mg, and Zn, and root Cu and Na of tall fescue and the root K of pennisetum. The Cu concentration was negatively correlated with K and positively correlated with Na in tall fescue and pennisetum under the Cu treatments. As the Cd/Cu concentration in solution increased, K/Na values were significantly decreased in the roots of tall fescue under Cu stress and pennisetum under Cd/Cu stress, whereas they increased in the roots of tall fescue under Cd addition. In summary, pennisetum exhibited the greater biomass and Cd/Cu extraction; indicating it as a candidate energy grass for phytoextraction. The adjustment capacity of grass for K and Na might relate to the tolerance to Cd/Cu.