Different behavior of two strains of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus on Hook. & Arn. against heavy metal soil pollution: a pilot-scale test.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have different biological mechanisms to alleviate stressful conditions in heavy metals (HMs) polluted soil. These mechanisms were widely assessed under controlled/greenhouse conditions, but scarcely studied at pilot or territory scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of two strains isolated from soils with different histories of pollution, in association with plants, growing in an engineering vegetal depuration module filled with artificially HMs polluted substrate.

Mycorrhizal stress alleviation in Senecio bonariensis Hook & Arn growing in urban polluted soils.

Loss of biodiversity and accumulation of contaminants in urban soils and water bodies cause serious issues in metropolitan areas. The Matanza-Riachuelo river basin (metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, Argentina) is one of the most environmentally degraded regions in the world. Senecio bonariensis Hook & Arn (Asteraceae) grows in the periodically flooded soils of this wetland.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in heavy metal highly polluted soil in the Riachuelo river basin.

The Riachuelo river basin (RRB) is considered one of the most polluted environments in the world. Knowledge of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) adapted to this extremely polluted environment is important for the establishment of future soil restoration projects. This work aims to make a first list of AMF species present on the RRB.

Pilot testing of a bioremediation system for water and soils contaminated with heavy metals: vegetable depuration module.

We present a novel constructed wetland called a vegetable depuration module (VDM) as a pilot test of a bioremediation system (BS) for decontaminating water and soil polluted with heavy metals. The VDM consisted of a pool filled with stones of different granulometry and a substrate top layer composed of a mixture of soil and volcanic ash (50:50, v/v) supplemented with 350 ppm Zn. The BS of sunflower plants colonized by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus was planted in the VDM.