Waste management in industrial and agricultural world is of great concerning now a day. Land contaminated with Nickel due to irrigation with metal rich wastewater is a serious phenomenon under scientist’s consideration worldwide. The toxicity induced by metal in plants and human beings via food chain threatening the mankind and environment. Citric acid proved to be an effective amendment in phytoextraction of the metal strengthening the Brassica napus L. natural mechanism by sufficient nutrient uptake and improved antioxidant defense system even during metal stress. The exposure of microwave radiation at seedling stage also improved the seed germination and afterward the efficiency of the plant to extract metal as compare to non-exposed plants without citric acid. A soil pot experiment was settled for two months with continuous supply of nickel and citric acid treatment with the interval of one week. Plants were harvested after eight weeks and analyzed for different parameters. Plants along with both amendments showed higher nickel concentrations and accumulation in different parts of Brassica napus L. We came to the result that Citric acid and microwave radiation exposure at seedling made hyperaccumulator/ metalophyte more remedial aiming to soil decontamination.

Authors: Mujahid Farid, Rashid Saeed, Shafaqat Ali, Muhammad Rizwan

Published in: World Congress on Sustainable Technologies (WCST-2017)

• Date of Conference: 11-14 December 2017
• DOI: 10.20533/WCST.2017.0013
• ISBN: 978-1-908320-78-0
• Conference Location: University of Cambridge, UK