Arabidopsis halleri · Atlas of Contaminated Sites

How it works

Mechanisms: hyperaccumulationphytoextraction

Contaminants

Contaminant	Evidence	What was shown
Zinc	field	Survey of 33 wild populations (20 on metalliferous sites, 13 not): Zn accumulation in shoots is a constitutive trait of the species, present in populations from uncontaminated soils too (Bert et al. 2002). In the UK field trials it accumulated Zn concentrations similar to N. caerulescens (McGrath et al. 2006). Bert et al., Do Arabidopsis halleri from nonmetallicolous populations accumulate zinc and cadmium more effectively than those from metallicolous populations?, New Phytol. 155:47, 2002 McGrath et al., Environ. Pollut. 141:115, 2006
Cadmium	field	It hyperaccumulates Cd as well, but the ability varies between populations (Bert et al. 2002); in the field it reached lower Cd concentrations than N. caerulescens (McGrath et al. 2006). In hydroponics Zn and Cd concentrate in the leaf mesophyll and at the base of trichomes (Küpper et al. 2000). Bert et al., New Phytol. 155:47, 2002 McGrath et al., Environ. Pollut. 141:115, 2006 Küpper et al., Cellular compartmentation of cadmium and zinc in relation to other elements in the hyperaccumulator Arabidopsis halleri, Planta 212:75, 2000

Contaminant

Evidence

What was shown

field

Survey of 33 wild populations (20 on metalliferous sites, 13 not): Zn accumulation in shoots is a constitutive trait of the species, present in populations from uncontaminated soils too (Bert et al. 2002). In the UK field trials it accumulated Zn concentrations similar to N. caerulescens (McGrath et al. 2006).

Bert et al., Do Arabidopsis halleri from nonmetallicolous populations accumulate zinc and cadmium more effectively than those from metallicolous populations?, New Phytol. 155:47, 2002
McGrath et al., Environ. Pollut. 141:115, 2006

Cadmium

field

It hyperaccumulates Cd as well, but the ability varies between populations (Bert et al. 2002); in the field it reached lower Cd concentrations than N. caerulescens (McGrath et al. 2006). In hydroponics Zn and Cd concentrate in the leaf mesophyll and at the base of trichomes (Küpper et al. 2000).

Limits

A small, low-biomass plant: the amount of metal removed per hectare stays modest. It does not accumulate lead (Bert et al. 2002). Its value is mostly scientific.

Where it has been tried

Woburn Experimental Farm, sludge-treated plots

PhytoremediationField scale, 1998–2000

Noccaea caerulescens (Thlaspi caerulescens), Arabidopsis halleri

McGrath, Lombi, Zhao and colleagues (Rothamsted Research) field-tested two hyperaccumulators with mobilising agents, different sowing strategies and growing seasons of different length.

Outcome No mobilising agent raised accumulation. On average, between 1998 and 2000, Thlaspi removed 1.3% of total soil cadmium and 0.3% of zinc; in one 14-month season, 21.7% of the cadmium and 4.4% of the zinc. The authors judge the technique usable for soils moderately contaminated with cadmium, not for zinc.