Nicotiana alata L. growth in soils amended with leachate sludge under different heavy metal loads

ABRILE MARIANA GUADALUPE; FIASCONARO, MARÍA LAURA; ORECCHIA, DAIANA SOLEDAD; LOVATO, MARÍA EUGENIA

Congreso; XXXIII Argentinian meeting of Plant Physiology; 2021

Argentinean Society of Plant Physiology (SAFV)

The shortage of organic matter (OM) and the presence of pollutants -such as heavy metals (HM) - hinder plant growth in cover soils of sanitary landfills. Use of alternative fertilizers sources such as sludge, seems to be an adequate solution to the lack of OM in the soils. However, HM presence still appears as a problem. Our objective was to evaluate the growth of Nicotiana alata L. in soils amended with leachate sludge, under different HM loads.The soil was amended with sludge derived from the treatment of leachate from a sanitary landfill. In addition, it was contaminated under different concentrations of Ni, Pb and Cr applying a Box?Behnken experimental design with three numerical factors. The plants grew in the substrate and were harvested once the flowering stage began. Different responses were determined such as: stem height, root length, aerial and root dry weight. They were evaluated using the Response Surface Methodology.Preliminary results suggest that Nicotiana alata L. exhibits a favorable response to medium levels of contamination. Nevertheless, plant growth was affected when the concentration of the different metals increased after a certain value. Particularly, Ni content had a strong influence on root and aerial parts dry weight.It could be suggested that Nicotiana sp. would be suitable for growth in substrates with moderate levels of heavy metals contamination and not only in soils amended with sludge. However, it is necessary to exert a broad control over the levels of contamination to which plants are exposed.