The Study of Tolerance of Cadmium and Accumulation it in Licorice Plantlets

Phytoremediation is a technology for extracting or inactivating pollutants. In this study، the ability of Glycyrrhiza glabra (var. glabra and var. glandulifera) for phytoremediation، tolerance to cadmium and accumulation of it within plant was investigated. The seeds of G. glabra var. glabra and var. glandulifera were cultured in pots and were watered with distilled water (control) and 100 & 200 µM cadmium chloride solution (treatment). Then the plants were analyzed after 20 days. Cadmium causes a decrease in seed germination. The dry weight of root in both variety and the length of root in var. glandulifera decreases significantly in proportion to the control group. Whereas، the dry and fresh weight of shoot، the length of shoot and the fresh weight of root in both variety and the length of root in var. glabra didn’t change significantly. No metal-toxicity symptoms such as burning and redness of the tissue were observed in Cd treatment. Plants containing more than 100 mg. kg-1 of Cd in dry shoot tissues should be considered as hyperaccumulators of this metal. Cd concentrations in the aerial organs of var. glabra and var. glandulifera were 116. 9-147. 9 and 116/0-119. 5 mg. kg-1 (on a dry weight basis)، respectively. We conclude that plantlet of G. glabra is a hyperaccumulator of Cd. G. glabra and so shows promise in the phytoremediation of Cd from polluted sites.