ABSTRACT
There is little information on the phytoremediation of the herbicide sulfentrazone. This reinforces the need for research aimed at providing safe alternatives to its use in systems that integrate crop succession or rotation, focusing on the sustainability of agricultural production, and without harming the production system or the environment. The aim of this study therefore, was to evaluate the influence of population density in Canavalia ensiformis on the phytoremediation of soil contaminated with the herbicide sulfentrazone. The experiment consisted of a 4 x 3 factorial in a completely randomised design with four replications. The first factor comprised a combination of four population densities of the species C. ensiformis, used in phytoremediation, (0, 10, 20 and 40 plants m-2), and the second of three doses of the herbicide sulfentrazone (0, 200 and 400 g ha-1). At 75 days after emergence, the plants were cut level with the collar. At the same time, pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), a bioindicator species for sulfentrazone, was planted in each pot, and the phytotoxicity was evaluated together with the height, and fresh and dry shoot and root biomass. Earlier cultivation of the species, C. ensiformis, helped remediation of soil contaminated with sulfentrazone. The minimum population density of C. ensiformis which allows millet to develop is 10 plants m-2; however, better results were obtained at a density of 40 plants m-2.
Key words:
Soil decontamination; Green manures; Herbicide; Bioremediation
