The phytoextraction process implies the use of plants to
promote the elimination of metal contaminants in the soil. In
fact, metal-accumulating plants are planted or transplanted
in metal-contaminated soil and cultivated in accordance
with established agricultural practices. The objective of
the present study was to evaluate the productivity and Cd
phytoextraction capacity of white lupine (
Lupinus albus
L.) and narrow-leafed lupine (
Lupinus angustifolius
L.), as
well as the effect on residual Cd concentration in the soil.
Both species of lupines were grown at three CdCl
2 rates
(0, 1, and 2 mg kg
-1), under three agroclimatic conditions
in Chile in 2013. In the arid zone (Pan de Azúcar, 73
mm precipitation), narrow-leafed lupine production was
significantly (P < 0.05) higher than white lupine (4.55
vs.
3.26 Mg DM ha
-1, respectively). In locations with higher
precipitation (Santa Rosa, 670 mm; Carillanca, 880 mm),
narrow-leafed lupine DM production was slightly higher
than in Pan de Azúcar, but white lupine was approximately
three times higher. Total plant Cd concentrations in white
and narrow-leafed lupine increased as Cd rates increased
in the three environments, but they were much higher in
narrow-leafed lupine than white lupine; 150%, 58%, and
344% higher in Pan de Azúcar, Santa Rosa, and Carillanca,
respectively. Cadmium uptake (g Cd ha
-1) and apparent
recovery were also higher (P < 0.05) in narrow-leafed lupine
in two environments (Pan de Azúcar and Carillanca). These
results suggest that narrow-leafed lupine present higher
potential as phytoremediation species than white lupine.
