The effects of repeated planting, planting density, and specific transfer pathways on PCB uptake by Cucurbita pepo grown in field conditions

Abstract

An in situ field investigation into the potential of PCB phytoextraction by Cucurbita pepo ssp. pepo (pumpkin) plants was continued for a second year at a field site known to be contaminated with a mixture of Aroclors 1254 and 1260 (average soil [PCB]=21 microg/g). Plant stem and leaf PCB concentrations in this second field season (11 and 8.9 microg/g, respectively) were observed to increase significantly from the stem and leaf PCB concentrations reported in the previous year (5.7 and 3.9 microg/g, respectively) while the total biomass produced as well as soil and plant root PCB concentrations did not change. Furthermore, the lower stems of some plants exhibited PCB concentrations as high as 43 microg/g, resulting in bioaccumulation factors (where BAF(plant part)=[PCB](plant part)/[PCB](soil)) for parts of the plant shoot as high as 2. Increased planting density was observed to significantly decrease both plant biomass and plant stem PCB concentrations (to 7.7 microg/g), but did not change plant root PCB concentrations. Finally, the results from this study provided further evidence that that under realistic field conditions, PCB transfer to pumpkin plants was primarily via root uptake and translocation. Other contaminant transfer pathways such as direct soil contamination, atmospheric deposition and volatilization from soil and subsequent redeposition on shoots appeared to have negligible contributions to overall pumpkin plant PCB burdens.