Phytoremediation potential of two species of the Brassicacea family

In recent years, in order to clean up areas contaminated with heavy metals, increased attention has been paid to representatives of the Brassicaceaе family as potential candidates for use in soil phytoremediation. The effect of zinc, as one of the most common pollutants from the group of heavy metals, at concentrations of 5 (control), 50, 100, 150 mg/kg of substrate on the shoot growth of two representatives of this family, white mustard (Sinapis alba) and sareptskaya mustard (Brassica juncea), was studied. The ability of plants to accumulate zinc ions in roots and shoots under these conditions was studied. In order to clarify the absorption properties of these species, at the end of the experiment, the zinc content in the substrate was determined. It has been established that high concentrations of zinc negatively affect the growth of plants, but do not cause their death. At the same time, they accumulate zinc in large quantities in the roots and shoots, and almost equally. In addition, after growing plants on contaminated substrates, the concentration of zinc in them decreases, which proves the ability of these species to actively absorb metal from the soil. The results obtained indicate the possibility and prospects of using both species (S. alba and B. juncea) in phytoremediation of zinc contaminated areas.