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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Logan, Utah » Forage and Range Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #353502
Title: Uptake of As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in pasture grasses on three metal contaminated soils from Montana

Author
item YUN, LAN - Inner Mongolian Agriculture University
item Jensen, Kevin
item Larson, Steven
item Waldron, Blair

Submitted to: Journal of Agricultural Science and Botany
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/15/2018
Publication Date: 6/15/2018
Citation: Yun, L., Jensen, K.B., Larson, S.R., Waldron, B.L. 2018. Uptake of As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in pasture grasses on three metal contaminated soils from Montana. Journal of Agricultural Science and Botany. 2(2):34-40.

Interpretive Summary: Sources of heavy metal accumulation in the western U.S. are often associated with mine tailings or overburden piles left after mining activities. Many of these regions are associated with reduced annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and soils that exhibit low and high pH, salinity, and lack of essential nutrients and structure which challenge plant establishment and persistence. One of the biggest challenges to successfully phytoremediate contaminated mineland soils is to identify native plants that are adapted to a broad range of ecological sites that either exclude or uptake heavy metals of interest. This study evaluated forage concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mn), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in alfalfa and nine dryland and irrigated grasses when grown in mine tailings from three surface mines in western Montana. Crested wheatgrass, intermediate wheatgrass, meadow and smooth bromegrasses, Russian wildrye, tall wheatgrass, orchardgrass, and tall fescue appear to have some potential as a Cd accumulator when grown on soils with pH levels of 5.01 and 4.26 compared to more basis soil observed in the Clarks Fork soil. Due to BCF values > 1 for Mn uptake in this study, Hycrest II crested wheatgrass, Al intermediate wheatgrass, Regar and Cache meadow bromegrass, Manchar smooth bromegrass, NewHy RS-hybrid wheatgrass, Bozoisky II Russian wildrye Alkar tall wheatgrass, Paiute and UTDG-101 orchardgrass, and Fawn tall fescue ccould be posssible materials for Mn accumulators in a phytoextraction program. Only RS-H RS-hybrid wheatgrass had a Zn BCF value > 1 and may be a candidate for Zn accumulation.

Technical Abstract: One of the biggest challenges to successfully phytoremediate contaminated mine land soils is the identification of plant materials that possess a broad adaptation to ecological sites and either exclude or uptake heavy metals of interest. This study evaluted forage concentrations (mg kg-1 DM) of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mn), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in alfalfa and nine other dryland and irrigates grass species when grown in the greenhouse on soil originating from mine tailings from three surface mines in western Montana. On the Clarks Fork soil forage tissue concentrations exceeded the upper limit for normal plant tissue in As, Cd, Cu, and Zn; however, regardless of tissue metal concentration, all species and cultivars within species had bioconcentration factors (BCF) values < 1 for As, Cd, Cu, and Zn and; hence, may not be good options in a phytoextration project. Crested wheatgrass, intermediate wheatgrass, meadow and smooth bromegrasses, Russian wildrye, tall wheatgrass, orchardgrass, and tall fescue appear to have some potential as a Cd accumulator when grown on soils with pH levels of 5.01 and 4.26 compared to more basic soil observed in the Clarks Fork soil. Due to BCF values > 1 for Mn uptake in this study, Hycrest II crested wheatgrass, AI intermediate wheatgrass, Regar and Cache meadow bromegrass, Manchar smooth bromegrass, NewHy RS-hybrid wheatgrass, Bozoisky II Russian wildrye Alkar tall wheatgrass, Paiute and UTDG-101 orchardgrass, and Fawn tall fescue could be possible materials for Mn accumulators in a phytoextration program. Only RS-H RS-hybrid wheatgrass had a Zn BCF value > 1 and may be a candidate for Zn accumulation.