Phytostabilization potential of Erica australis L. and Nerium oleander L.: a comparative study in the Riotinto mining area (SW Spain).

Phytostabilization is a green, cost-effective technique for mine rehabilitation and ecological restoration. In this study, the phytostabilization capacity of Erica australis L. and Nerium oleander L.

Active proton efflux, nutrient retention and boron-bridging of pectin are related to greater tolerance of proton toxicity in the roots of two Erica species.

Background And Aims: Tolerance to soil acidity was studied in two species of Ericaceae that grow in mine-contaminated soils (S Portugal, SW Spain) to find out if there are interspecific variations in H tolerance which might be related to their particular location.

Methods: Tolerance to H toxicity was tested in nutrient solutions using seeds collected in SW Spain. Plant growth and nutrient contents in leaves, stems and roots were determined.

Thiacloprid adsorption and leaching in soil: Effect of the composition of irrigation solutions.

Pressure on groundwater resources has increased during the last decades due to the growing demand, especially in arid and semiarid regions, such as the Mediterranean basin, with frequent drought periods. In order to partially remediate this environmental problem of world concern, irrigation of agricultural lands with adequately treated wastewaters (TWW) is becoming a common management practice. The complex composition of these low-quality waters may influence the behavior of organic contaminants in soils.

Screening Arabidopsis mutants in genes useful for phytoremediation.

Emissions of heavy metals have risen over the past 200 years and significantly exceed those from natural sources. Phytoremediation strategies may be able to recover soil productivity in self-sustaining ecosystems; however, our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in plant heavy-metal perception and signalling is scarce. The aim of this study was to assemble a "molecular tool box" of genes useful for phytoremediation.

Effect of two different composts on soil quality and on the growth of various plant species in a polymetallic acidic mine soil.

The effect of the addition (0-10%) of two types of sewage sludge composts (composted sewage sludge [CS] and sewage sludge co-composted with olive prune wastes [CSO]) on a polymetallic acidic soil from the Riotinto mining area was evaluated by i) a soil incubation experiment and ii) a greenhouse pot experiment using tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.), ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and ahipa (Pachyrhizus ahipa (Wedd.