Excessive soil metal concentrations may be hazardous for human, animal and plant health. Phytoremediation is a technique based on the use of plants as decontaminator agent and has been increasingly applied with the objective of soil and water remediation in polluted areas. The objective of the present work was to study a leguminous species - jackbean [Canavalia ensiformis (L.)D.C.] - as Pb-phytoextractor through the evaluation of Pb effects on the plant physiology and root nodulation. The experiment was carried out under natural variation of light and temperature, in pots containing 2 L of sand under greenhouse conditions. Plants were treated with four Pb concentrations (0, 250, 500 and 1000 µmol L-1) in the presence and absence of rhizobium stirp. Jackbean plant development was not affected by Pb treatments and Pb-toxicity symptoms were not observed. However, plants were not able to produce root nodules. Jackbean plants exibited low shoot/root Pb translocation indexes. Despite the fact that root nodulation and N fixation can be drastically reduced in the presence of high Pb concentrations, it was concluded that jackbean plants can be considered potential Pb phytoextrators, since root Pb concentrations reached up to 400 mg kg-1.
phytoremediation; Canavalia ensiformis; jackbeans; root nodules; rhizobium
