Abstract Book - 3rd International Symposium on Medicinal Plants ...

The 3 rd <strong>International</strong> <strong>Symposium</strong> on Medicinal Plants, their Cultivation and Aspects of Uses
Topic (7): Medicinal Plants as Bio-Indicators and Heavy Metals Accumulators
7.1 Potential of Some Medicinal and Aromatic Plants for Phytoremedation of
Soils Contaminated with Heavy Metals
Angelova, V 1 ., Ivanova, R 2 ., and Ivanov, K 1 .
1 Department of Chemistry, Agricultural University. 2 Department of Plant science, Agricultural
University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
<strong>Abstract</strong>: Environmental pollution with heavy metals is a global problem, and therefore the
development of phytoremediation technologies for plant-based clean-up of contaminated soils is
therefore a significant interest. Medicinal plants appear to be a good choice for phytoremediation
since these species are mainly grown for secondary products (essential oil) thus the contamination
of the food chain with heavy metals is eliminated. The accumulation of cadmium, lead and zinc by
medicinal and aromatic plants from soils contaminated with heavy metals was studied in the
vicinity of the Non-Ferrous-Metal Works near Plovdiv, Bulgaria. In the study were included 14
medicinal and aromatic plants - Mentha piperita L., Salvia officinalis L., Salvia sclarea L, Silybum
marianum L, Calendula officinalis L., Matricaria chamomilla L., Ocimum basilicum L.,Lavandula
vera L., Vinca Minor L., Valeriana officianalis L.,Centranthus L.,Melissa officinalis L., Datura
Stramonium L. and Nepeta Cataria. The contents of the heavy metals in the plant material /roots,
stems, leaves, flowers, seeds, etc./ and their products were determined after the method of the dry
mineralization. The quantitative measurements were carried out with ICP. A positive relationship
was established between the concentrations of metal accumulated in different parts of the plants
and the metal levels in the contaminated soils. A clearly distinguished species peculiarity exists in
the accumulation of the heavy metals in the vegetative and reproductive organs of studied plants.
The medicinal and aromatic plants can be divided into three groups which differ considerably in
their ability to accumulate heavy metals: (i) low accumulators; (ii) moderate accumulators and (iii)
high accumulators. Each one of the plants from these groups can be successfully grown in slightly
polluted calcaric fluvisoils. The tested medicinal plants cultivated on highly heavy metal polluted
soils could be used in pharmacy only after analysis for heavy metal concentration in them, in order
to avoid any risk of contamination of the end products (drugs). Melissa officinalis L. and Valeriana
officinalis L. have the potential of being used as a biomonitoring plants for heavy metal pollution in
the polluted soils. Salvia sclarea L. was the most perspective plant from family Lamiaceae for
growing in industrially polluted region - a very good accumulator of heavy metals and could be
used for cleaning the toxic metals from polluted soils, as well as the end product (oil) can be used
in the perfumery and cosmetics and tobacco industries.
Key words: Aromatic plant, heavy Metals, phytoremedation, soils.
7.2 Morphological Effects and Zinc Accumulation of Micropropagated Plants
of Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Steud.
BEN BAHRI Nada, BETTAIEB Taoufik, and LARIBI Bochra
Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie. 43, Av. Charles Nicolle-1082, Tunis, Tunisia.
<strong>Abstract</strong>: In vitro essay of Paulownia tomentosa (Thunb.) Steud. was undertaken to determine
the capacity of this medicinal plant to accumulate heavy metal in its tissues. In this case, the nodal
explants were placed on Murashige and Skoog‟s medium (1962), added with 1.0 mg/l indole-3-
butyric acid (IBA). The ZnSO 4 was supplemented to the culture medium at various concentrations
200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 µM. The MS medium free of Zn served as control. The height of
plantlets, the number of nodes, the number and length of roots and the biomass of the in vitro
plants were determined. The Zn content in plant tissues was measured by an inductively coupled
plasma-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES, OPTIMA 2000 DV, and PerkinElmer, USA).
Results showed that highest Zn level (1000 µM) induced a significant reduction in shoot height,
(18.86%) and root number (84.9%) of plantlets in comparison to the control. The highest Zn
concentration in the culture medium caused also an important decrease in fresh and dry biomass
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