Accumulation and Tolerance of Pb in Some Bioenergy Crops

Contamination of agricultural soil is a worldwide problem, with heavy metals being a major part of the concern. Bioenergy crop production is also a profitable phytoremediation strategy using biofuel crops for both utilization and remediation of contaminated soil. To investigate lead (Pb) accumulation and tolerance of three different energy crop cultivars, three-week-old healthy seedlings were grown in Hoagland solution supplemented with five different concentrations of Pb 0, 25, 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg. At the end of 30 days, Pb content and translocation, tolerance index, bioconcentration factor, and growth parameters of the plants were evaluated in the study. Results showed that increasing Pb concentrations did not affected the growth and development of Sunburst (Panicum virgatum L.) and Dincer (Carthamus tinctorius L.) cultivars. The highest Pb contents were also found in roots and shoots of Sunburst and Tarsan-1018 (Helianthus annuus L.) cultivars. Dincer cultivar has a high ability to transfer Pb from root to shoot when compared to others. These results suggest that these cultivars may be good candidates for remediation of Pb-contaminated areas for use in biofuel production.