Phytoremediation of soils contaminated with picloram by Urochloa brizantha

Abstract

Picloram is an herbicide that presents a high persistence in the soil and may severely harm crops in rotation and the environment. The phytoremediation of contaminated areas has been investigated in order to decrease the persistence and environmental impacts of this herbicide. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the cultivation period of Urochloa brizantha cv. Piatã on the phytoremediation of soil contaminated with picloram. Arandomized blocks design, with five replications, was used and treatments consisted of five cultivation periods (150, 210, 240, 270 and 300 days). It was concluded that U. brizantha acted effectively in the phytoremediation of contaminated soils, and the higher the cultivation period, higher was its phytoremediation potential. A recovery in the photosynthetic apparatus of the bioindicator plants (Phaseolus vulgaris) studied was observed after 240 days of U. brizantha cultivation.

Keywords

• Urochloa brizantha (Stapf) Webster (syn. Brachiaria brizantha Stapf)
• Phaseolus vulgaris L.
• herbicide
• auxins