The potential of Blepharidium guatemalense for nickel agromining in Mexico and Central America
2021
Navarrete Gutiérrez, Dulce | Nkrumah, Philip, | van der Ent, Antony | Pollard, Joseph | Baker, Alan, | Navarrete Torralba, Francisco | Pons, Marie-Noëlle | Cuevas Sánchez, Jesús Axayacatl | Gómez Hernández, Teodoro | Echevarria, Guillaume
The aim of this study was to assess the potential of the woody nickel hyperaccumulator species Blepharidium guatemalense (Standl.) Standl. for agromining in southeastern Mexico. Pot trials consisting of nickel dosing (0, 20, 50, 100 and 250 mg Ni kg-1), and synthetic and organic fertilization were conducted. Field trials were also undertaken with different harvesting regimes of B. guatemalense. Foliar nickel concentrations increased significantly with rising nickel additions, with a 300-fold increase at 250 mg Ni kg-1 treatment relative to the control. Synthetic fertilization strongly increased nickel uptake without any change in plant growth or biomass, whereas organic fertilization enhanced plant shoot biomass with a negligible effect on foliar nickel concentrations. A 5-year-old stand which was subsequently harvested twice per year produced the maximum nickel yield tree-1 yr-1, with an estimated total nickel yield of 142 kg ha-1 yr-1. Blepharidium guatemalense is a prime candidate for nickel agromining on account of its high foliar Ni concentrations, high bioconcentration (180) and translocation factors (3.3), fast growth rate and high shoot biomass production. Future studies are needed to test the outcomes of the pot trials in the field. Extensive geochemical studies are needed to identify potential viable agromining locations.
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