The study of Zinc and Lead Extraction Potential by Safflower Plant

Heavy metals are potentially toxic to human life and the environment. Metal toxicity depends on their chemical behavior in soils. For this reason, the uptake of lead, zinc and potential phytoremediation efficiency of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) was evaluated in a pot experiment which was contaminated by different amounts of zinc and lead. The experiment was a completely randomized design with two levels of zinc (Zn1:150 and Zn2:300 mg/Kg soil) and three levels of lead (Pb1:50, Pb2:500 and Pb3:1000 mg/Kg soil). The amount of equilibrated zinc and lead in treated soil after three wetting-drying sequences was determined and the removal of both lead and zinc by plant were evaluated. The safflower yield decreased with the increase in the levels of zinc and lead which showed phytotoxicity in plant. Increasing soil extractable zinc. The lead uptake by plant was decreased. Despite an increase in plant lead concentration, increase in different levels of lead in the soil caused a decrease in the total amount of accumulated lead in plant. The highest level of lead and zinc yield produced in this study was in Zn1Pb1: 1.283 and Zn2Pb1: 7.740.