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1J - Bioaccumulation (WEP/55) Cannabis sativa for heavy metal contaminated soil restoration. Prato, Nadia1, Citterio, Sandra1, Fumagalli, Pietro1, Tringali, Maria1, Sgorbati, Sergio1, Santagostino, Angela1, 1 Dep. of Environmental Science, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy ABSTRACT- The main limitations of heavy metal phytoextraction technology for soil remediation are related to low-deep penetrating roots, low yields of hyperaccumulator plants and the disposal of their metal-enriched biomass. Cannabis sativa is a tall plant with about 1 m deep roots, that grows fast and easily in dense stands and it is widely employed in many types of non-food industries, so it is a good candidate for soil phytoremediation. Experiments in field conditions were undertaken to asses hemp metal tolerance and its ability to accumulate cadmium, nickel and chromium. Hemp was grown in two soils, containing 27, 75, 126 and 82, 115, 138 mg/Kg of Cd, Ni, and Cr, respectively. After two months from germination and at ripeness no significant alteration in plant growth or morphology was detected. On the contrary, a high hemp reactivity to heavy metal stress with an increase in phytochelatin and DNA content was observed during development, suggesting the Cannabis sativa ability to avoid cell damage by activating different molecular mechanisms. Cadmium and Nickel were considerably accumulated in the plant roots and only partially translocated to the above-ground tissues. Chromium uptake was instead negligible. Key words: Heavy metals, Cannabis sativa, Phytoremediation, soil |
