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Rapid Screening of Plants Promoting Phenanthrene Degradation
Author(s) -
Liste HansHolger,
Alexander Martin
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1999.00472425002800040044x
Subject(s) - phenanthrene , sativum , helianthus annuus , sunflower , phytoremediation , phenols , pisum , chemistry , phytotoxicity , degradation (telecommunications) , botany , horticulture , environmental chemistry , biology , organic chemistry , biochemistry , heavy metals , telecommunications , computer science
Crop plants were tested for their capacity to bring about phenanthrene degradation in solution. A simple colorimetric method was used to quantify phenols formed from phenanthrene in 1 h. In the presence of sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.) and pea ( Pisum sativum L.) roots, >50% of the phenanthrene was metabolized and converted to phenols. In the presence of roots of other plant species, phenanthrene disappeared rapidly, but little phenols accumulated. We suggest that this is a rapid, simple assay to screen plant species for use in phytoremediation.