Phytoremediation potential of alimurgic plants in metal-contaminated environments

As soil metal contamination is rapidly increasing worldwide, mainly because of human activities, phytomanagement of polluted land is becoming an environmentally sustainable and cost-effective option that can also produce biomass and energy as secondary utilities. Some Asteraceae and Polygonaceae species growing spontaneously as invasive weeds on natural and farmed land, which are considered medical or edible alimurgic species, have been identified to accumulate high above-ground levels of toxic elements, thanks to efficient root-to-shoot translocation. Most of them combine high adaptability to marginal soils with good shoot biomass, and many are metal indicator or hyperaccumulator species. In this study were investigated the shoot and root growth potential, metal uptake and translocation at the flowering stage of wild chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), common sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus L.), salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius L.), common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale Web.) and garden sorrel (Rumex acetosa L.) in artificially highly Cd-Co-Cu-Pb-Zn-contaminated soil.