Phytoextraction of cadmium by Pteris vittata L. and Pteris ensiformis burm. f. (ferns) grown on cadmium contaminated soil in Obafemi Awolowo Universirty, Ile-Ife

Abstract

Cadmium pollution is increasingly becoming a major world problem. Therefore, this study investigated the potentials of Pteris ensiformis and Pteris vittata in phytoextracting cadmium (Cd) in the Cd contaminated soil. The two studied species were collected from fern garden at the Natural History Museum on Obafemi Awolowo University campus, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The treatments used were; CT: control plants that were not exposed to Cd contamination, A: plants cultivated on soil contaminated with 50 ppm, B: 100 ppm, C: 150 ppm, and D: 200 ppm of Cd. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF), transfer factor (TF) and impacts on growth and biomass indices of roots and fronds were determined to assess and compare the phytoextraction potentials of the two plants. The study revealed that, Cd concentrations significantly affected the growth and biomass parameters with the effects being less significant on Pteris vittata compared to that of P. ensiformis. The BAF and TF increased with increasing levels of cadmium concentrations in the plants. P. vittata and P. ensiformis had BAF and TF values less than one which implies that they did not effectively accumulate Cd from the soil. P. vittata had higher BAF and TF which indicates it accumulated more Cd than P. ensiformis. Therefore, P. vittata has better Cd phytoextraction potentials than P. ensiformis.