Plant growth regulators and fertilizer increase phytoextraction efficiency of Tagetes minuta under lead-contaminated soil.
Ullah S, Jan AU, Hussein KI, Sultan Al-Buriahi M
Phytoremediation
If your neighborhood sits on old industrial land or near a busy road, marigolds — the same cheerful annuals in countless garden beds — could one day be planted in rotation to draw dangerous lead out of the soil before you grow food in it.
Scientists tested whether giving a wild marigold species (called Tagetes minuta) a boost of hormones, fertilizer, and a chemical that makes lead easier for roots to grab would help it clean lead-poisoned soil. The answer was a clear yes — plants given the full treatment grew much bigger, stayed healthier under stress, and pulled dramatically more lead out of the soil than untreated plants. The marigold even crossed the threshold scientists use to call a plant a true 'hyperaccumulator,' meaning it concentrates more lead in its tissues than exists in the soil around it.
Key Findings
The full treatment (lead + EDTA + gibberellic acid + indole acetic acid + NPK fertilizer) increased shoot fresh biomass to 15.93 g/pot — far above untreated lead-stressed plants — and boosted chlorophyll content 3× compared to lead-only controls.
Antioxidant enzyme activity (catalase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase) roughly doubled in fully treated plants, showing the combination actively shields the plant from lead toxicity.
Tagetes minuta achieved a bioconcentration factor of 8.96 (>1 qualifies as hyperaccumulator) and a bioaccumulation coefficient of 2.85 under the best treatment, confirming strong phytoextraction potential.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers found that treating marigold plants with plant growth hormones, fertilizer, and a chelating agent dramatically boosts their ability to pull toxic lead out of contaminated soil, making them a practical, low-cost cleanup tool.
Abstract Preview
Soil contamination with heavy metals severely threatens food security and human health worldwide. Heavy metal contamination must be controlled through sustainable and economical technologies. To en...
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Tagetes minuta is a tall upright marigold type of plant from the genus Tagetes, with small flowers, native to the south western half of South America. Since Spanish colonization, it has been introduced around the world, and has become naturalized in Europe, Asia, Australasia, North America, and A...