Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Feb;16(2):123-30.
doi: 10.1631/jzus.B1400107.

Lead accumulation and tolerance of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) seedlings: applications of phytoremediation

Dan Liu  1 , Song Li, Ejazul Islam, Jun-ren Chen, Jia-sen Wu, Zheng-qian Ye, Dan-li Peng, Wen-bo Yan, Kou-ping Lu
Affiliations

Lead accumulation and tolerance of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) seedlings: applications of phytoremediation

Dan Liu et al. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B. 2015 Feb.

Abstract

A hydroponics experiment was aimed at identifying the lead (Pb) tolerance and phytoremediation potential of Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) seedlings grown under different Pb treatments. Experimental results indicated that at the highest Pb concentration (400 μmol/L), the growth of bamboo seedlings was inhibited and Pb concentrations in leaves, stems, and roots reached the maximum of 148.8, 482.2, and 4282.8 mg/kg, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the excessive Pb caused decreased stomatal opening, formation of abundant inclusions in roots, and just a few inclusions in stems. The ultrastructural analysis using transmission electron microscopy revealed that the addition of excessive Pb caused abnormally shaped chloroplasts, disappearance of endoplasmic reticulum, shrinkage of nucleus and nucleolus, and loss of thylakoid membranes. Although ultrastructural analysis revealed some internal damage, even the plants exposed to 400 µmol/L Pb survived and no visual Pb toxicity symptoms such as necrosis and chlorosis were observed in these plants. Even at the highest Pb treatment, no significant difference was observed for the dry weight of stem compared with controls. It is suggested that use of Moso bamboo as an experimental material provides a new perspective for remediation of heavy metal contaminated soil owing to its high metal tolerance and greater biomass.

Keywords: Moso bamboo; Pb; Phytoremediation; Scanning electron microscopy; Transmission electron microscopy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with ethics guidelines: Dan LIU, Song LI, Ejazul ISLAM, Jun-ren CHEN, Jia-sen WU, Zheng-qian YE, Dan-li PENG, Wen-bo YAN, and Kou-ping LU declare that they have no conflict of interest.

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Effect of Pb on the growth of Moso bamboo seedlings at the time of harvest Plants were treated with various levels (0, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 μmol/L) of Pb for 30 d
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Effects of different Pb treatments on dry biomass of Moso bamboo Error bars are standard deviations (n=3). Different letters indicate significant differences (P<0.05) between the treatment and control (CK)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Total root length (a), surface area (b), root volume (c), and number of tips (d) of Moso bamboo showed different responses to different Pb treatments for 30 d Error bars are standard deviations (n=3). Different letters indicate significant differences (P<0.05) between the treatment and control (CK)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Scanning electron micrographs of cross-sections of Moso bamboo leaf (a–d), root (e–h), and stem (i–l) treated with 0 and 400 μmol/L Pb for 30 d Control (CK; 0 μmol/L Pb): a, c, e, g, I, and k; 400 μmol/L Pb treated: b, d, f, h, j, and l
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Transmission electron micrographs of the leaf (a–d), root (e–h), and stem (i–l) Ultrathin sections of the Moso bamboo exposed to 0 and 400 μmol/L Pb for 30 d. Control (CK; 0 μmol/L Pb): a, c, e, g, i, and k. 400 μmol/L Pb treated: b, d, f, h, j, and l. Labels: Ch, chloroplast; CW, cell wall; Gr, granum; PG, plastoglobule; M, mitochondrion; PL, plasmalemma; SG, starch grain; NU, nucleus; NUE, nucleolus; V, vacuole; C, cytoplasm; ER, endoplasmic reticulum
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. An YJ, Kim YM, Kwon TI, et al. Combined effect of copper, cadmium, and lead upon Cucumis sativus growth and bioaccumulation. Sci Total Environ. 2004;326(1-3):85–93. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.01.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Audet P, Charest C. Heavy metal phytoremediation from a meta-analytical perspective. Environ Pollut. 2007;147(1):231–237. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2006.08.011. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chen H, Hong W, Wei L, et al. Study on biomass and productivity of Phyllostachys heterocycala cv. Pubescens forest in the north of Fujian. Sci Silvae Sin. 1998;34(S1):60–64. (in Chinese)
    1. Chen XG, Zhang XQ, Zhang YP, et al. Changes of carbon stocks in bamboo stands in China during 100 years. Forest Ecol Manag. 2009;258(7):1489–1496. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2009.06.051. - DOI
    1. Cho-Ruk K, Kurukote J, Supprung P. Perennial plants in the phytoremediation of lead-contaminated soils. Biotechnology. 2006;5(1):1–4. doi: 10.3923/biotech.2006.1.4. - DOI

Publication types